


The Summer Affair

by MidnightRain19



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Summer Love, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 142,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27424879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightRain19/pseuds/MidnightRain19
Summary: Upon their graduation from high school, Maka and Tsubaki decide to enjoy one last summer trip together before they head off in different paths for college. The plan is to have a simple summer fling to help them both get over their first loves, but that plan may just fall apart when they meet and get to know Soul and Black Star over the course of their summer break.
Relationships: Black Star/Nakatsukasa Tsubaki, Maka Albarn/Soul Eater Evans
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Only Yesterday

Author's Note: So I decided that I wanted my second fanfiction to be The Summer Affair which will be an AU. I really look forward to writing this story and I hope people like it! This story starts out with some Kid x Maka, but it will eventually become a Soul x Maka with some side pairings also.

Chapter 1: Only Yesterday

"She's doing that on purpose." Maka growled out under her breathe as she watched Liz snuggle up comfortably next to Kid across the lunchroom.

Tsubaki let out a sigh next to her. "That's because she knows you're looking in their direction."

Maka frowned and let out a huff as she turned away from the couple and resisted the urge to continue her blatant staring.

"If you pay me twenty bucks, I can make Liz stop her open flirtations." Kim suggested across from her.

Maka rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks Kim. I can fight this battle on my own."

Kim shrugged, but nodded her head in agreement, going back to eating her own lunch.

"I don't see why you're upset that Kid is dating someone else now. You both mutually broke up with each other over a month ago." Ox Ford brought up with a yawn.

Maka glared at Ox Ford for a minute before going back to picking at her food.

"I know we both agreed to break up; I just didn't think he would move on so fast." Maka grumbled.

'Though it's not just the fact that Kid moved on that's bothering me, it's the fact that he had to start going out with Liz of all people…'

Maka sighed and stood up from the lunch table as she promptly threw away her food in a nearby trash can.

All of Maka's friends turned and gave her a look mixed with worry and confusion at her abrupt action.

"Where are you going Maka?" Jacqueline asked in concern.

Maka shrugged and gazed towards the exit of the cafeteria. "Anywhere, but here."

As Maka finished her sentence, she calmly grabbed her backpack and walked out of the cafeteria.

Tsubaki frowned and stood up also. "I'll go check on her to make sure she's okay."

~X~

"Stupid Kid, Stupid Liz! Why do you have to constantly flirt in front of me?!" Maka yelled out, as she broke pieces of wood in the nearby forest by the school.

"You honestly don't think they are doing it on purpose, do you?" Tsubaki questioned from behind her.

Maka sighed and stood up from the smashed wood chunks to face Tsubaki.

"No, I don't think they are doing it on purpose, but it seems to me like they are sometimes." Maka replied back tiredly.

Tsubaki smiled and sat down against the edge of a nearby tree. "It's not healthy to hold in your emotions like this. You don't have to put on an act for us Maka; we all know you're still hurting."

Maka frowned and leaned back against an opposite tree to face Tsubaki properly. For a few minutes, neither of them said anything until Maka felt a few tears roll down her cheek.

"I know it's not good for me to bottle up my feelings, but I don't want Kid to see how much our break up is really affecting me." Maka explained quietly.

Tsubaki brushed away a leaf that fell into her hair and spoke up again. "It's obvious that you still like Kid. Why not just tell him how you feel?"

Maka immediately shook her head in disagreement. "I can't do that! He's already in a new relationship; I'm not going to try to become the other woman or make him feel the urge to cheat on Liz."

Tsubaki didn't seem to agree with Maka's sentiment and instead gazed back towards their high school.

"Well, you know we're going to be graduating in a few days and starting our summer break. Maybe we should do something to move on past our first loves." Tsubaki suggested.

Maka frowned and balled up her fists into the grass below them. "The only guy I want to be with is Kid though."

Tsubaki groaned slightly under her breathe. She was beginning to get tired of Maka's stubborn behavior and moodiness.

"Listen, I didn't say we had to get into any serious relationships. It would only be for the summer after all. Also, you could at least stop purposely avoiding Kid. At least your first love is still around unlike mine!" Tsubaki griped a bit grouchily.

Maka looked back up and noticed how pained Tsubaki's facial expression was. Her usual bright and friendly blue eyes were duller and shimmered with unshed tears.

'Oh my gosh, what am I doing? Here I am whining about losing Kid, when Tsubaki's been through way worse than me and still manages to keep a straight face like nothing is wrong…'

"I'm sorry Tsubaki. I didn't mean to remind you of well…" Maka cut herself off with a sigh.

Tsubaki shook her head and immediately put back on a smile. "It's not your fault Maka. I really do think though it would be good for the both of us if we went on vacation somewhere far from here. At least to help us not think about the past as much."

Maka managed to weakly smile back in agreement. "We can settle out all the plans next week after graduation."

Tsubaki was about to speak up again when the bell signaling the end of lunch interrupted her.

Both Maka and Tsubaki immediately stood up and brushed themselves off. "You have Math after lunch, right?" Maka asked Tsubaki, as they walked back into the school and entered the halls.

Tsubaki nodded her head. "And you have English, huh?"

Maka nodded her head also. "I guess I'll see you at the apartment then after school." Maka finished, as she waved goodbye to Tsubaki to walk to the second floor.

~X~

Maka sighed as read through a chapter in her textbook in order to try and distract her mind. Normally English was Maka's favorite class since it involved her doing her favorite hobbies: Reading and Writing. Unfortunately, English also happened to be a class she shared with Kid that now only served as a reminder of their failed relationship.

FLASHBACK

"Class, please settle down. We have a new student here with us today, go ahead and introduce yourself." Mr. Fisher announced to his freshman class, waiting for them to get quiet.

Maka looked up from her book and took in the new student's appearance. He looked fairly ordinary enough except for his golden colored eyes and the unusual white stripes only on one side of his hair.

"Hello, I'm Death the Kid. And yes in case you are wondering, I am Principal Death's son. I've been homeschooled all my life, but I wanted to finish the rest of my education in high school." Kid spoke up calmly.

Whispers filled the classroom as people gave Kid a mix of odd looks or bored expressions.

"Very nice introduction Kid. You can take the seat next to Maka; she is the student council president and I'm sure she can help you get used to the school and catch up with us in class." Mr. Fisher said, as he pointed to the empty seat by Maka.

Maka gave Kid a smile as he took a seat next to her. "Hi, I'm Maka! Welcome to Death City High School!"

Kid smiled a bit more at Maka's friendliness. "Thanks, it was kind of awkward talking up there when it seemed like no one was paying attention to me."

Maka sighed and shook her head. "You'll get used to it in time, trust me."

For the next few weeks, Maka showed Kid around the school and helped get him caught up in his classes. Luckily, it seemed like she and Kid shared many of the same classes together except for Science and some electives.

"So, what else do you do at this school besides Student Council?" Kid asked Maka one day while they were on break in the library.

"Hmm, well I did do speech for a little bit and I am in the Karate club also. Though, Student Council keeps me pretty busy most of the time. Were you looking to try and join a club or something?" Maka asked.

Kid nodded his head. "I think I like the idea of doing Speech and Debate maybe. You know, you like to read a lot. Maybe you should create a book club."

Maka smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'll think about it, but I think I would be the only member of that club."

Kid shook his head and lightly brushed his hand against Maka's. "I would join that club so at least you wouldn't be alone."

Maka blushed looked away to hide her face. 'It's weird having a guy this close to me. Most guys at this school either brush me off as a nerd or think I'm too tough."

Kid stood up from his seat and still kept his grip on Maka's hand. "You know I'm really glad you showed me around. I'm glad that I made a friend so fast."

Maka smiled back as an idea popped her into her head. "It's no problem. Hey, I should introduce you to my other friends! It's almost time for lunch anyways."

Maka and Kid hadn't even realized they were still holding hands when they came into the cafeteria until Kim started to tease her.

"Maka, I thought you hated guys? I guess the new guy here was able to change your mind though!" Kim inquired suggestively.

Maka looked at Kim in confusion before realizing she was still holding Kid's hand and let it go with a blush.

"I've been showing Kid around the school and I wanted to introduce him to you guys." Maka explained with a huff, as she took her usual seat next to Tsubaki.

After teasing Maka a bit more, Kim, Jacqueline, Ox Ford, and Kilik properly introduced themselves to Kid and made him feel comfortable.

"Are you two already dating?" Tsubaki whispered to Maka.

Maka shook her head, but snuck a quick glance back at Kid. 'No, we aren't dating, but I do feel happy when I'm around him…'

~X~

As weeks turned into months, Maka and Kid got to know each other even better. Kid learned that Maka also had a family member that worked at the school: her Dad who she had a rocky relationship with and happened to be one of the assistant principals.

"So your Dad is one the reasons you have such a hard time trusting guys?" Kid asked, as they sat in their usual spot in the corner of the library.

Maka sighed and nodded her head. "It's just he cheated on my mom with so many woman and he's always giving me empty promises that he'll change his behavior one day. I mean I still love him and all, but I couldn't take him bringing home a new woman every night. I actually just moved in with Tsubaki about a month ago.

Kid seemed surprised at this. "Are you two allowed to live on your own even though you're both underage?"

Maka shrugged, but nodded her head. "Well Tsubaki is originally from Japan, so her biological parents are over there. My dad has custody over me since the divorce and is just a legal guardian towards Tsubaki. When Tsubaki turned 16, she was allowed to get an apartment on her own on the condition that my Dad checks in on her every once in a while. Since the apartment had two bedrooms, I moved most of my stuff in there also since Tsubaki and I are like sisters. "

"I'm surprised the landlord allows someone so young to stay on their own though." Kid mused, still thinking over the situation.

"Tsubaki is more responsible than some of the adults who stay there. She always turns in her rent money early and the landlord knows Tsubaki's situation and my situation." Maka explained.

Kid smiled and nodded his head in understanding. "Well you've given me your story. I guess I should give you mine now."

Maka let out a light laugh and shook her head. "You don't have to if you aren't comfortable doing it yet."

Kid frowned and straightened up in his seat. "No, it's only fair after you told me all that stuff about your life. The reason why I've been homeschooled most of my life is because I have this OCD issue."

Maka blinked her jade green eyes in confusion so Kid continued on. "I have this thing about symmetry. I try to make everything in my life as symmetrical as possible."

Maka arched an eyebrow as she thought over Kid's predicament. "I honestly don't see how that's even possible."

Kid sighed and nodded his head. "It isn't easy. People used to make fun of me a lot, so I don't like to really talk about it, but I feel like I can really trust you." Kid reasoned as he sent Maka a grin that made her heart speed up.

Maka grinned and felt her cheeks begin to redden. "I trust you to Kid. It's not often I can really say that to a guy."

Kid smiled and started to twiddle his pencil nervously. "Uh, I know we've only known each other a few months now, but would you like to go out on a date on Saturday?"

Maka's eyes lit up in excitement as she nodded her head.

Kid grinned and calmed down a bit. "Great, let's meet in front of the fountain at Death City Park at 8pm, okay?"

Maka nodded her head in agreement and immediately rushed home to tell Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki, this is my first actual date and I don't know even know what to wear! I'm used to just wearing my school uniform or my karate outfit!" Maka cried out, as she threw clothes onto her bed.

Tsubaki smiled and calmly patted Maka on the shoulders. "Calm down Maka! I'm sure whatever you pick to wear Kid will like it."

Maka pouted in frustration, but eventually found a nice blue top with a matching skirt that she liked enough.

When Saturday finally came, Maka and Kid enjoyed the evening by taking a walk in the park and eating out at new restaurant that offered a mix of casual and fine dining. Maka even gained enough courage to give Kid a quick peck on the cheek as he walked her back to the apartment.

"We should do this again sometime." Maka whispered with a blush.

Kid only nodded his head back dazedly as he touched the spot where Maka had kissed him.

After a few more dates, it was obvious to pretty much everyone in their freshman class that Kid and Maka were a couple. In their sophomore year of their official one year anniversary, Kid took them out to a fancier restaurant that allowed them to get a scenic view of the whole city.

"Um Kid, is it okay for us to go here? I know it's our anniversary and all, but I don't want us to spend too much money." Maka stated, as she smoothed out her emerald dress.

Kid smiled and held up a credit card. "It's okay; I'm borrowing my Dad's credit card."

Maka sighed and shook her head with a laugh when suddenly Kid held up a gift wrapped box to her.

"Is that for me?" You didn't have to get me anything extravagant Kid!" Maka questioned in shock.

Kid grinned and only pushed the box further towards her. "I insist, Maka."

Maka huffed and delicately opened up the box and saw a silver chained necklace with a letter M charm attached at the end of it.

"Oh Kid, this is beautiful! Thank you!" Maka said happily, as she carefully put it on.

Kid beamed at how happy Maka was as the two of them continued to enjoy their dinner.

'I wish Kid and I could have more moments like this together. Now that he's become president of the Speech and Debate Team and I've had more weekend karate tournaments, both of us have gotten so busy.

~X~

By the time it was the beginning of their senior year, Maka and Kid were one of the many couples in their class in the running to be voted as Most Cutest Couple and Most Likely to Succeed by graduation.

It was a cool fall morning as Maka and Tsubaki made their usual walk to school when something strange caught Tsubaki's eye.

"Hey Maka, who are those girls with Kid? I don't think I've ever seen them at our school before." Tsubaki asked.

Maka glanced at Tsubaki in confusion before following her gaze to two blonde girls who were talking to Kid.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll go introduce myself." Maka mumbled, as she walked ahead of Tsubaki to greet Kid.

Just as Maka was about to tap Kid on the shoulder, he turned around and faced her.

"Oh, good morning Maka! Allow me to introduce you to Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson. They are new transfer students to our school." Kid related to her cheerfully.

Liz and Patty gave Maka a quick look over before smirking and whispering something to each other.

Maka frowned, but decided to still be polite. "Hi, I'm Maka Albarn. I can show you around the school if you need help. I did the same for Kid back in our freshman year."

"That's okay. Kid said he was going to show us around." Liz explained in a bored manner.

Maka narrowed her eyes at Liz's slight attitude, but said nothing more.

"How did you meet these two?" Maka whispered to Kid.

"Well my Dad and I like to help students in need as you know. To be honest, Liz and Patty actually tried to mug me the other night, but after I learned their situation better I allowed them to stay with me back at the manor." Kid whispered back.

Maka's eyes widened in shock and she almost felt the need to Maka-chop Kid with one of her books to knock some sense back into him.

"Are you sure you can trust them?" Maka finally mumbled.

Kid nodded his head as he watched the two of them walk ahead of them. "Don't worry Maka; once you get to know them better, I'm sure they'll warm up to you also."

Maka frowned and let out a sigh as she trudged a bit slower to school now. 'Something tells me that will definitely not happen.'

As Maka suspected, her friends were also wary of the Thompson Sisters. Most of the senior class, especially the boys were immediately attracted to them though, despite the attitude they gave off. It seemed like the only person they acted nice around was Kid, much to Maka's annoyance.

The beginning first few weeks of school were hell for Maka. Liz seemed to know how to find her way into the little time Maka got with Kid no matter where they were.

"Kid, do you want to borrow my new jazz CD?" Liz asked, as she sat across from Maka and Kid one day at lunch.

Kid shook his head. "I'm actually still going through this song collection that Maka got me for my birthday."

Liz frowned and huffed when Maka secretly sent her a smug grin.

"I'm surprised you actually listen to music Maka. I thought all you did was read books all day." Liz scoffed.

Maka growled and resisted the urge to rise to the bait. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Kid sensed the tension between the two of them and cleared his throat. "Maka, can I speak to you privately in the hallway?"

Maka sighed and stood up and followed Kid into the hall.

"Why are you giving Liz such a hard time?" Kid asked, straight to the point.

Maka frowned and balled her hands into fists. "I'm giving her a hard time?! Did you not just hear that comment she made to me? And that's not even the worst of it…"

Kid only shook his head. "Look, I know Liz and Patty haven't been the friendliest of people, but you gaining an attitude back with them isn't going to help the situation."

Maka sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Kid's defending of their behavior. "Alright, I'll try to keep my temper in check."

Kid grinned and gave Maka a quick kiss. "Good, the Maka I know isn't a jerk to others."

Unfortunately, keeping her attitude in check was easier said than done. When Kid wasn't looking, Liz made it her objective to pester Maka not only about her lack of music knowledge, but also about her physical attributes.

"No matter how much you bother me, I'm not going to break up with Kid." Maka snapped finally one late afternoon.

"I don't get what Kid sees in you though. I have all the qualities that you lack." Liz sneered back.

"Whatever, I'm going to be late for practice if I spend any more time talking to you." Maka hissed out, as she rushed off.

Liz watched her go before letting a smirk grow on her face. 'This isn't over yet by a long shot Maka.'

~X~

Maka wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead and let out a sigh.

"Practice was so exhausting today. I wonder if Kid is still working with the Debate Team." Maka mumbled under her breathe, when she suddenly heard two familiar voices.

"I really like you Kid, even though you're in a relationship with Maka, One voice murmured.

Maka frowned and walked backwards into a corner. 'That sounded a lot like Liz.'

The other voice sighed and said nothing for a few minutes before speaking up. "You know I can't be with you Liz! Why did you tell me this?"

'That was definitely Kid's voice. At least he's going to let Liz down easy.' Maka thought to herself.

Instead of letting Liz down though, Kid eventually said something that stunned both Liz and Maka.

"I just didn't want to keep it to myself forever! I know you and Maka have been together since the beginning of high school, but after seeing how much care you've given both my sister and I started to develop feelings for you." Liz related in one quick breathe.

Kid frowned and looked around before speaking quietly. "Your feelings aren't completely unrequited."

Liz's eyes widened in shock as a blush spread to her cheeks while Maka's eyes widened in horror, paralyzed until she was sure the two left the hallway.

'He's gained feelings for somebody else. He might not have acted on his feelings, but he still has them. What am I going to do now?' Maka thought with a sigh, as she quietly headed home.

Even though Maka wanted to try and recover the parts of her drifting relationship with Kid, a few days later Maka ultimately decided it was best for them to take a break from each other and Kid agreed to it. In the rest of the weeks ahead, Maka spent most of her time busying herself with her schoolwork and afterschool activities in an attempt to ignore the aching in her heart that maybe she should have tried harder to make their relationship last.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Maka sighed as she tried to shake the memories away and focus back on the lesson.

'I don't know why it's so hard for me to forget about the past. I guess one of the reasons is because I never even got a chance to tell Kid what I heard that day.' Maka thought gloomily, as she absentmindedly clasped the necklace he had given her.

~X~

Meanwhile on the other side of town at South Valley High School:

"Dude, can you believe we're finally about to graduate! I can't wait to leave this damn school." Black Star yelled out to his friend Soul.

Soul frowned at how unnecessarily loud Black Star was being, but grinned in agreement. "I'm surprised you're actually on track to graduate knowing how you basically make an F on all of our assignments."

Black Star let out a snort and scoffed. "You're one to talk; you barely do any better than me! Anyways, that's not the point. What are your plans for the summer?"

Soul shrugged and leaned back against one of the outside walls of their school. "I'm not sure. Sleep in all day?"

Black Star frowned and shook his head. "That's lame! We need to get out of this town, no get out this state and meet some hot chicks on a beach somewhere!"

Soul rolled his eyes. "Any dates you manage to get with a girl barely last a week."

Black Star huffed and pointed a finger towards the sky. "That's because they did not understand how much of a God I am!"

"Or they got fed up with how full of yourself you are." Soul retorted back.

"Whatever, at least I want to hook up with somebody unlike you. So many girls here want to be with you and I don't understand why." Black Star grouched out.

Soul said nothing back and instead stared at the clouds passing in the sky in boredom. 'Those girls don't want to be with me, they want to be with Wes…'

"Where would we even go anyways? There's more to a trip than just saying you want to go somewhere." Soul said.

Black Star shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head. "We can work out all the details later! All I know is you need to get over what happened in the past and move on with your life!"

Soul rolled his eyes and let out a sigh as the two of them headed back to class. 'If only it were so easy to just get over it.'

Well that ends Chapter 1; this story will take place starting from mid to late May all the way into early September because those are the main summer months for me with all of the characters currently being 18. Feedback is always welcomed and as always thanks for reading!


	2. Crossing Paths With You Again

Chapter 2: Crossing Paths with You Again

Maka let out a yawn as she casually flipped some pancakes by the stove and slid them onto a plate.

Tsubaki walked out of her room a few minutes later and smiled when she saw the pancakes.

"You don't usually make so much food for breakfast! What's the special occasion?" Tsubaki asked, as she gazed at the pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

Maka smiled and turned around to face her. "Well today we have graduation practice! I guess I'm just a little bit excited that we're finally going to graduate soon!"

Tsubaki grinned and nodded her head in agreement. "Things have been looking up for both of us! We both did get into the colleges of our first choice after all!"

Maka nodded her head, but the smile on her face started to diminish slightly. "True, but you're going to be attending the college here in town, while I'm going out of state all the way to New York."

Tsubaki sighed and started to frown also as she cut her pancake into halves. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean we still won't be able to talk and skype each other when we aren't too busy."

Maka sipped some of her orange juice as a thought popped into her head. "You know, you could have gotten the same scholarship I got to Columbia University also, why do you want stay here in the city?"

Tsubaki narrowed her eyes and shot Maka a look that told her she already knew the answer to her question.

An awkward silence fell over them until Tsubaki spoke up again.

"There's nothing wrong with me going to the University of Nevada you know." Tsubaki grumbled quietly.

"Of course there isn't! I wasn't trying to imply that if that's what you were thinking!" Maka cried out, trying to alleviate the situation.

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head with a smile. "It would be nice to attend college in a new area, but I know Angela would be sad if I went somewhere so far away for so long."

Maka's eyes widened in realization as Tsubaki finished her statement. She hadn't even considered the fact that moving to New York would mean Tsubaki would no longer be able to visit Angela on the weekends.

"You should just raise Angela. That's what Mifune would have wanted." Maka stated quietly.

Tsubaki grinned slightly and leaned back in her chair. "I would love to, but I don't have the proper resources to really take care of her. Plus, I'm pretty sure you have to be at least 21 years old to legally adopt a child.

Maka frowned and let out a huff. "Still though, I wouldn't mind her staying here with us. And you've proven yourself a capable and mature adult unlike most other people our age."

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head sadly. "Let's not discuss sad topics anymore."

Maka nodded her head and brightened up again. "After we get done with graduation practice, we can start discussing those summer plans you had in mind."

Tsubaki beamed back. "Good. I'm glad you didn't forget about that because I was serious when I mentioned it. We should hurry and finish up breakfast now so we won't be late for school."

~X~

"Alright students, please calm down! I know you guys are excited, but you need to hear what we have to tell you!" Principal Death announced loudly to the crowd of students.

In a few minutes, the whooping and cheering in the auditorium died down and Principal Death spoke up again.

"As you all know, graduation will be taking place this Saturday May 24th! It's crazy how fast the school year goes by, but it's time for you all to move on to bigger and better things. In a few minutes, we'll be starting the rehearsal, so please sit quietly while we get the seats arranged on stage!" Principal Death stated cheerfully.

"I'm glad since we're both honor students we'll be sitting close to each other on the big day." Maka whispered to Tsubaki.

"I won't be the only one sitting close to you though." Tsubaki whispered back as she pointed to someone sitting a few rows ahead of them.

Maka didn't have to look in the direction Tsubaki was pointing to know she was referring to Kid.

"I hope it isn't going to be weird for us to sit next to each other for so long." Maka muttered with a sigh.

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at Maka's unusually shy behavior. "I thought you would be happy to have a chance to be close to him again."

Maka blushed and nodded her head slightly. "I am happy, but it's not like I can do anything with Liz basically watching him like a hawk 24-7."

Tsubaki was about to reply back when suddenly Spirit announced for the seniors to come to the stage and start arranging themselves in alphabetical order as much as possible. Tsubaki sighed and gave her a glance that told her she wasn't done with the conversation as the two of them made their way to the first rows.

Unfortunately, as Maka and Tsubaki walked up to the stage, they became separated due to the crowd of students standing up and walking into the aisle also. After a few minutes passed, Maka managed to get out of the horde of students and find an open seat on first row.

'Oh no, I lost Tsubaki in the crowds. I wonder where she went off to.' Maka thought to herself, as she looked in all directions for her friend.

"Who are you looking for?" A familiar voice asked next to her.

Maka felt her heart immediately start to beat faster as she turned her attention towards Kid.

"I was wondering where Tsubaki was." Maka managed to get out.

Kid smiled warmly and pointed behind them. "I think I saw her sitting just about 2 rows down towards the left."

Maka followed Kid's directions and sure enough saw Tsubaki gazing back at her with an arched eyebrow and a smirk.

Maka felt her cheeks redden as she shook her head at Tsubaki's assumption.

'It's not my fault we got separated in the crowd Tsubaki! I didn't ask for Kid to sit next to me either!' Maka thought, as she turned back around and slid back into her chair.

"We haven't talked in a while Maka. Has karate really been keeping you that busy?" Kid asked.

Maka shook her head and finally forced herself to face him. "I just figured it would be weird to try to talk to you again after all that's happened between us."

Kid looked confused for a moment before he shook his head. "I know it's a little strange since we aren't dating anymore, but I still want to be your friend Maka."

Maka pouted a little, but managed to nod her head in agreement. 'But I want to be more than just friends though, why can't we go back to the way we were before Liz came into the picture…'

Kid suddenly noticed the necklace around Maka's neck and grinned. "You still kept that, huh?"

Maka blushed as she quickly glanced down at the charm and fingered it protectively. "It means a lot to me."

Kid smiled and nodded his head in understanding. "I know what you mean. Liz gave me this little bracelet that she said would give me good luck in any future challenges I face." Kid explained, as he held up a black leather band around his arm.

Maka frowned and resisted the urge to groan at the mention of Liz. 'He seems to be more in love with Liz with each passing day. I don't even know if Liz really likes him back or if she just continues to be with him in order to spite me.'

"Anyways, I was wondering Maka, would you and Tsubaki like to attend my graduation party at my house after the big event?" Kid suddenly asked, breaking Maka out of her thoughts.

Maka immediately felt the urge to say yes, but then she remembered that her Dad had called her the other night to offer that she and Tsubaki go out with him for a celebratory dinner the same day.

"It depends on what time it would be at. My dad wants to take Tsubaki and me out for dinner on the same day." Maka stated.

"Oh, it would be like around lunch time since our graduation starts at 10 am, it would start like at maybe 12 or 1 pm at the latest." Kid described.

Maka smiled and eventually nodded her head in agreement. "I'll have to talk it over with Tsubaki to see if she wants to go also, but I would love to attend."

Kid grinned and lightly touched her arm. "Great, because I think there are still some you and I need to talk about and settle."

Maka felt herself gain a wave of anxiety and excitement at Kid's words. A part of her mind told herself not to get her hopes up too much on what Kid wanted to talk to her about, but that still didn't stop her heart from speeding up at the idea.

~X~

Soul was dozing in and out of sleep in his math class when a sudden banging on his desk startled him out of his nap.

"Mr. Evans, I would appreciate it if you didn't use my class for extra sleep time." Ms. Thomas snapped from above him with a huff.

Soul only groaned and rubbed his eyes as he turned away from his teacher. As Soul's eyes adjusted back to his surroundings, he realized the whole class was staring at him with a few girls giggling and sending him flirtatious winks.

Soul frowned and turned back towards Ms. Thomas who was now even angrier that Soul had been ignoring her.

"Since you want to sleep so badly, why don't you head down to the Principal's office and sleep in there!" She growled out.

Soul rolled his eyes and without a word stepped out of the classroom and walked down the hallway towards the office.

"And you better not think of just skipping, because I'll make sure to send a note down there to her!" Ms. Thomas yelled out, when Soul was about midway down the hall.

Soul sighed and sat down at his usual spot outside the door to the principal's office. 'I don't know why she's so angry. In a few more days she won't even have to deal with me anymore once I finally graduate.'

Only a few minutes had passed when suddenly the door to the office clicked open again and a purple haired girl came in and sat down next to Soul.

Blair glanced at Soul for a second before gaining her usual Cheshire smile that she was known for. "Soul, why are you ignoring me?"

Soul internally groaned and rubbed his head in frustration. 'Could this day get any worse?'

Blair pouted when Soul continued to ignore her and eventually looked away with a sigh. "Are you still mad at me Soul? I didn't think you would hold a grudge for this long…"

Soul growled and scooted his chair away from her. "You would be mad too if I did to you what you did to me."

Blair's eyes narrowed in annoyance and she let out a huff. "Well we can always start over though, I hate seeing all those girls hanging over you and thinking they have a chance with you!"

Soul sighed and brushed a hand through his snow white hair. "They at least have a better chance with me than you."

Blair looked hurt by that statement and finally turned away from Soul and waited until the secretary called her up.

"What are you in here for today?" Sid asked.

"I was tardy to my first period class." Blair said with a sugary sweet smile.

Sid sighed and shook his head as he gave Blair a pink slip of paper. "You're lucky this is only your first offense in a while. Try not to get into any more trouble; graduation is coming up soon after all."

Blair nodded her head in agreement and gave one final wink to Soul as she left out of the office.

Sid frowned and turned his attention towards Soul. "Soul, it seems like you and Black Star make a daily visit to this office. I know students are starting to get that Senioritis now that school is almost over, but this could possibly cost you to not walk at graduation."

Soul only shrugged his shoulders, not caring to hear his nagging. "As long as I got my diploma, does it really matter whether or not I actually walked on stage?"

Sid shook his head at Soul's attitude and phoned Azusa to inform her Soul was back again.

After a few minutes passed, Azusa opened her door and allowed Soul to come in.

"So why are you in my office today Soul? Were you skipping class again or failing to turn in your work?" Azusa asked.

Soul leaned back in the chair and yawned. "I was sleeping in Ms. Thomas's class."

Azusa frowned and took off her glasses to rub her eyes. "Why are you behaving this way Soul? I know you can act and do better than this. You could learn a lot from your brother Wes."

Soul growled and balled his hands into fists. 'Great, she's going to give me another speech about how amazing Wes is and remind me how I'm nothing like him.'

Surprisingly though, Azusa didn't continue to mention Soul's brother and instead said something else.

"I know you may think I'm just harassing you and constantly trying to make you suffer, but I really do care about my students. I even heard from the music teacher that you happen to very skilled with the piano and have the possibility of attending Julliard in the fall." Azusa stated.

Soul grimaced and shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't say I was going there for sure. I don't even want to go to college actually."

Azusa sighed and calmly clasped her hands together. "I expected you to be more cheerful that you got in. That school is very competitive you know."

Soul rolled his eyes and scoffed. "The only reason I put in my application was because my parents constantly bugged me about it. Anyways, are we done now? It's almost time for lunch."

Azusa took a quick glance over her paperwork and sighed. "Yeah, I guess we are done. But I don't want to see you again until it's when I'm handing you your diploma on Saturday. Got it?"

Soul grinned with his usual toothy smile for the first time since he entered into the office. "Fine by me."

~X~

"So what did Kid talk to you about?" Tsubaki asked her curiously at lunch.

Maka blushed and twirled one of the pigtails in her hair. "Nothing really, actually he invited the both of us his graduation party."

Kim overheard part of their conversation and spoke up. "Oh, what's this Maka? Are you possibly going to get back together with Kid again?"

Maka's cheeks reddened even further as she shook her head and tried to stop Kim and Jackie's taunting.

"I thought your dad wanted to meet up with us though. Won't that cause a time conflict?" Tsubaki asked in puzzlement.

Maka turned back to Tsubaki and shook her head. "No, it won't. Kid's party is in the afternoon and we won't meet up with my dad until the evening time."

Tsubaki sighed and lowered her voice. "I don't think it's that good of an idea to go. You know Liz and Patty will be there also."

Maka shrugged and pouted a bit. "I don't care if they will be there! Kid said he had something important to tell me. Maybe he really does want to get back together with me!"

Tsubaki frowned and decided not to question how low those chances were and just let Maka be excited for now.

After their afternoon classes ended, Maka met up with the other members of the student council to discuss their final plans for the year and vote on who would take their places for the new school year in the fall. Once that meeting was over, Maka rushed over to Karate class and started up her usual sparring session with Kim.

"You know, I was being serious when I asked if you were possibly going to get back together with Kid again." Kim said, moving in for a swing.

Maka shrugged and blocked it. "To be honest, I don't think we are even though I wish we would."

Kim smiled and brushed away some sweat from her forehead. "It would be nice if Kid would have tried harder to make your relationship work like Ox does with me."

Maka narrowed her eyes in confusion and let out a light laugh. "That's the first time I've heard you actually acknowledge that you really are in a relationship with him."

Kim huffed and blushed slightly. "Yeah well, you better not let that get around or else I'll start treating our sparring sessions seriously."

Maka only grinned and shook her head. "You know what; Tsubaki actually suggested that we maybe hook up with some guys over the summer to help us stop thinking so much about our old boyfriends."

Kim looked surprised at the fact Tsubaki had been the one to suggest that. "Hmm, it's a bit odd Tsubaki would want that, but I think it's a good idea also. Who knows, maybe you'll actually find someone that you'll eventually like more than Kid."

Maka shook her head in disagreement and let out a sigh. "I don't think any guy I meet could make their way into my heart the way Kid has. Besides, it would only be for the summer. It's not like either of us are looking for a serious relationship."

Kim shrugged and brushed back her pink hair with a smirk. "I wouldn't speak so soon if I were you."

Maka rolled her eyes and finished her sparring session with Kim and then hit the showers. As Maka walked home, Kim's words repeated in her head. 'I wouldn't speak so soon if I were you.'

Maka huffed and pushed the thought away. "Summer romances rarely last for a long time." Maka muttered to herself.

~X~

"Dude, where have you been all day? I almost thought you had skipped school!" Black Star questioned Soul, as he took a seat next to him the cafeteria.

Soul rolled his eyes and took a bite of sandwich. "Ms. Thomas sent me to the Principal's office again."

Black Star laughed and munched on a candy bar he had bought from the vending machine. "That woman is an ass. I'm definitely not going to miss her once we leave this school."

As Black Star finished his snack, he glanced around the cafeteria and noticed Blair take a quick glance in their direction before looking away again.

Black Star arched an eyebrow in confusion and elbowed Soul. "Why does your Ex keep looking over here?"

Soul groaned and let out a sigh. "Probably because she came into the principal's office while I was in there as well."

Black Star grinned and continued to nudge Soul. "Oh I see! Did you hook up with her again in one of the bathroom stalls or something?"

Soul nearly spat out the part of his sandwich he had been chewing and sent Black Star a glare.

"Why the hell would I want to hook up with her after what she did?!" Soul stated, once he swallowed his food.

Black Star frowned and shrugged. "I thought you had moved on past that, but I guess not."

Soul's crimson eyes seemed to grow darker in rage. "What do you mean I should have moved on past it? You think her cheating on me is something I should just take lightly?!"

Black Star sighed and twiddled with a strand of his light blue hair. "Well I was just wondering! Geez no reason to get so pissed off at me. Most guys at this school would love to be with her. I mean I don't blame them, she's cute, bubbly and has huge breasts to top it all off!"

Soul shrugged and started to take a sip from his milk carton now. "All of that doesn't matter if behind that cute personality she gives off that she doesn't really care how many guys she gets with."

Black Star noticed Soul's shoulders sag slightly in depression, so he quickly decided to change the topic.

"See, this is why I was saying that we need to go on vacation somewhere and hook up with some cute girls!"

Soul crushed his carton and tossed it into the trash. "You're never going to stop bringing that up, are you?"

Black Star grinned cheerily and shook his head. "Would you rather stay in this city all summer and potentially have to deal with your family bugging you every day?"

Soul frowned and realized to his slight shock that Black Star was right for once. "I'll start looking up places when we get back to the apartment."

~X~

Maka sighed as she browsed through another travel website. "It's going to be really expensive for us to stay anywhere for a whole 3 months or so." Maka muttered aloud.

"Any luck at finding a place that is in our price range and sounds interesting?" Tsubaki asked from behind her on her bed.

Maka shook her head laid her head against Tsubaki's desk. "I know we have enough money saved up to at least stay somewhere nice, but I'm not sure where we should go."

Tsubaki smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Anywhere is fine really. It can be in Asia, Africa, even Europe…"

Maka brightened at the mention of Europe. "I like the sound of Europe! I think there would be a lot of nice cities and places we could visit."

Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement. "Could you imagine sharing a kiss with a guy under the Eiffel Tower?"

"Or riding together in the canals in Florence?" Maka suggested.

Both Maka and Tsubaki swooned and giggled at the endless possibilities this vacation could have for them.

"I'm actually starting to get really excited for this summer!" Maka said excitedly, as she gazed out Tsubaki's window and took in the late spring air.

"When we go on vacation though, we have got to promise each other something though." Tsubaki suddenly spoke up seriously, as she stood up from her bed.

Maka frowned and turned her forest green eyes towards her in interest. "And what's that?"

"We can't let our past loves get in the way of any potential summer loves." Tsubaki explained calmly.

"Why? We both still have feelings for our past loves…" Maka questioned softly.

Tsubaki frowned and this time did not let Maka's stubbornness off the hook. "No matter how much you may still love Kid Maka, he's moved on with his life and so should you!"

"What? You're the one who said that Kid could still possibly like me!" Maka said in shock.

Tsubaki shook her head. "I never said that! I said you should tell Kid how you feel, not that he would still feel the same way about you."

"What would be the point in telling him how I feel if I know he doesn't feel the same way?" Maka asked with a sigh.

"Because then at least you get some closure with the relationship you had with him and move on! But instead you rather either ignore your feelings or ignore him when he at least still wants to be your friend." Tsubaki continued on bitterly.

"I don't want to be just his friend!" Maka snapped out, but then calmed down when she realized how tense both she and Tsubaki were getting.

"You're lucky you can at least get some proper closure for your relationship with Kid. I wish I could say the same for me, but I can't." Tsubaki muttered tiredly.

Maka sighed and shut down Tsubaki's laptop and placed it back on her bed.

"You're right, Tsubaki. I should properly end my relationship with Kid, it's just hard to…because I know when I do I'll have to face the reality that we'll never truly be a couple again…" Maka mumbled out as she quietly walked back to her room.

Tsubaki grimaced as she watched Maka go. 'Maybe I might have been a bit too mean, but I think what I said will truly finally help her settle things with Kid at least before we leave.'

~x~

This ends Chapter 2, feedback is always welcomed and as always thanks for reading! (By the way, I updated my profile with a poll to ask people what they want to maybe see me write after I finish writing this story. Though it won't be for a while, it will give me an idea of what people would prefer so let me know your thoughts!)


	3. To Fake A Smile

Chapter 3: To Fake a Smile

Tsubaki smiled to herself in her mirror as she adjusted her dark blue graduation gown and cap.

'Today's finally the big day! I can't believe by the end of today, Maka and I will be able to say we're high school graduates!'

Tsubaki walked over to her dresser and pulled out a blue heart shaped necklace that would match perfectly with her gown.

Just as Tsubaki was about to close her dresser, she suddenly noticed an old photo on her desk.

Tsubaki picked up the photo and upon closer inspection, realized it was a photo of her and Mifune taken about 2 years ago.

Tsubaki frowned as she felt a familiar tightness grow in her chest. 'Has it really already been 2 years now? If only we hadn't gone out that day, you could still be here with me attending my graduation…'

Tsubaki felt her eyes start to water and immediately wiped her tears away when she heard a knock at her door.

"Tsubaki, are you almost ready? We have to be at the assembly hall by 9:30!" Maka called out from behind the door.

Tsubaki quickly set the frame down and opened her door to greet Maka.

"Sorry I took so long. I'm ready now!" Tsubaki said with a smile.

Maka noticed the smile Tsubaki was giving her didn't seem to reach her eyes and frowned.

"Are you alright Tsubaki?" Maka inquired in concern.

"Yes, I'm just a feeling a bit of anxiety and nervousness for graduating that's all." Tsubaki lied.

Maka didn't seem to believe her, but eventually smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Don't worry; I'm a bit on edge too, but we're both in this together!" Maka piped up cheerfully.

Tsubaki nodded her head and with that, the two of them headed out the doors.

At the assembly hall, Maka and Tsubaki met up with all of their friends and happily took a few pictures together with them before they were told to line up.

"What are you guys planning to do after the ceremony?" Ox Ford whispered to Maka and Tsubaki from behind them.

"We're going to Kid's graduation party at his house of course." Maka replied back easily.

"Oh, we're going to head over there also! Maybe we'll see you there then." Jacqueline said excitedly from behind them.

A couple of minutes later, the procession started for the students to walk into the stadium. The whole center was packed with spectators for each person graduating, flashes of cameras and cheers echoing throughout the area.

"I didn't expect to see the area be this packed. Especially since we were only allowed 5 guests per person." Maka mumbled under her breathe, as she took her seat, trying to tune out her father's yelling in the distance.

Maka sighed as she looked down her row. Even though both she and Tsubaki were honor students, they still had to be in alphabetical order and that meant she was stuck sitting next to Kid and Ox Ford.

"Hey Maka, don't trip when you finally get on stage!" Ox Ford teasingly stated next to her.

Maka scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You should be more concerned about yourself than me."

Maka took a quick glance towards her left and saw Kid gazing at the stage in slight apprehension.

"Are you alright Kid? You look a little bit tense." Maka whispered to him.

Kid turned towards her and managed to give her a weak smile. "I'm alright. I'm just ready to get my speech over with. I've never spoken to an audience this big after all."

Maka gave him a warm smile and nodded her head. "I'm sure you'll be fine. I did proofread it for you after all."

Kid nodded his head and smiled a bit more confidently now. "True, you did do that for me. Thanks for that, it's been such a hectic week for me finishing up finals, making this valedictorian speech, and planning for the party."

Maka blushed slightly and internally grinned at how easy it was beginning to get again for her to talk to Kid.

'And best of all, Liz is sitting too far away from us to cause any interruptions.' Maka added as an afterthought with a smirk.

~X~

"Hey Man; get up! We're going to be late if you sleep any longer!" Black Star yelled out, as he banged on Soul's door.

Soul growled and rubbed his red eyes drowsily. "What the hell is he talking about?" Soul muttered under his breathe, as he glanced at his nearby alarm clock.

The alarm clock was currently flashing the time as 11:00 am.

Soul glanced at it for a second before realizing to his shock that they needed to meet at the assembly hall at 11:30 before the ceremony started at 12.

Soul quickly hopped out of bed and grabbed his maroon graduation gown and cap and rapidly headed into his bathroom to brush his teeth and apply some body spray to mask any foul odors.

"Damn it Black Star! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!?" Soul snapped out, once they were both finally out of the apartment and driving towards their school.

Black Star shrugged his shoulders and let out a yawn as he turned at a stoplight. "I tried banging on your door like 3 times. It's not my fault you were pretty much knocked out and didn't hear me."

Soul sighed and took a brief glance at his watch. "Well it's a good thing we don't live that far away from the school."

Black Star let out a laugh and leaned back into the driver's seat. "Since when have you ever cared about being early to any place?"

"I wouldn't care so much if it weren't for the fact that being 5 to 10 minutes late could cause us to not get our diplomas." Soul grumbled, as he thought back to what Principal Azusa had told him the other day.

Black Star eventually got to their school by about 11:25 and pulled into a parking space. As they both stepped out of the car, Black Star stretched his arms out as he snapped his fingers, remembering something he needed to tell Soul.

"Oh yeah before I forget, some guys are throwing a grad party at the park after the ceremony ends. Did you want to stop by?"

Soul shrugged as he adjusted the cap on his head. "Do we know any of them?"

Black Star thought it over for a minute before nodding his head. "We should see some familiar faces. Plus, it's an opportunity to get some free food."

Soul chuckled a bit and shook his head. "I guess it's cool with me. It's not like we have anything better to do."

Getting lined up for the assembly seemed to be an impossible task to accomplish. Many of the students were not paying attention and were mainly just goofing around with their friends until Azusa's voice broke through the crowds.

"Alright everyone, settle down and line up! You have already heard the rules regarding what you can and can't do, so let's make this graduation go smoothly!" Azusa stated firmly.

Everyone quieted down and properly lined up and a few minutes later were properly seated.

Soul sighed as he took a sweeping glance around at who was sitting next to him. At least he didn't have to deal with Blair being by him.

Unfortunately though, Soul could sense somewhere in the crowds the eyes of his brother and parents watching him as the ceremony began to start.

~X~

"And now we present to you: Death City High's graduation class of 2014! Congratulations!" Principal Death shouted out as the class threw their graduation caps in the air.

Maka cheered and gave a quick hug and pat on the back to the people sitting next to her before following her row out of the stadium and back outside to where most of their family and guests were waiting for them.

"Maka, Papa is so happy you crossed this big milestone today!" Spirit cried out cheerfully as he approached Maka from the crowds.

Maka sighed and rolled her eyes as she reluctantly gave into the hug Spirit wanted to give her just as Tsubaki came up to them as well.

"Tsubaki, I'm proud of you to! You two both worked so hard to get where you are today!" Spirit stated, as he also gave Tsubaki a hug.

Tsubaki smiled and happily accepted the hug as she took in the lively atmosphere surrounding them.

"So what are your plans for today? Did you guys still want to have dinner later on?" Spirit asked.

Maka shrugged and was tempted to say that they had new plans when suddenly Tsubaki spoke up for her.

"We can still go. The only plans we had was to attend a small party at Kid's house for lunch and then relax a bit at home." Tsubaki related.

Maka frowned and gave Tsubaki a side glance that silently asked her why she had told him all of that.

"You're going to Kid's house? Well tell him I said hello!" Spirit said cheerfully.

"Also, what time did you guys want to meet by the way? I can make reservations at that fancy new Italian restaurant." Spirit added in.

"6 pm is fine." Maka grumbled in a bored manner as her father nodded his head in agreement and walked off to talk to the other faculty.

"Why did you tell him we were going to Kid's house? Now he's going to try and ask me questions about my love life!" Maka questioned with a pout.

Tsubaki shrugged as she watched Maka's father disappear further from their view. "It's not that big of a deal really. Besides, we're just going to Kid's house for a friendly gathering, right?"

Maka's cheeks reddened as she nodded her head. "Let's go home and get changed then. It's already almost noon now."

After Maka and Tsubaki changed into some casual wear, they both headed towards Kid's mansion and were greeted by Principal Death at the door.

"Hi Maka and Tsubaki! I assume you're here for Kid's party, right? It's in the backyard, just head straight down." He explained happily.

They both smiled and followed his directions straight down the hall into the backyard where the music was blasting.

Maka's eyes widened as she took in the huge groups of students hanging around the area. The whole backyard was decorated with the schools colors of Death City High which was blue and white. Blue and white streamers were tied to each of the chairs and even the desserts on the food table had a graduation theme to them.

"Did some of these students go to Death City High?" Maka whispered to Tsubaki, as she grabbed a water bottle from a nearby cooler.

Tsubaki shrugged and shook her head. "I don't think so, but it is possible we just never really saw them or that they are friends of Kid's that went to a different school."

At the mention of Kid, Maka's heart sped up as she looked around the crowds for him. 'That's right. Kid said he did have something important he wanted to tell me. I wonder where he is…'

Tsubaki watched Maka search around for Kid before letting out a sigh. "You can go look for Kid if you really want to find him."

Maka turned her attention back towards Tsubaki and shook her head. "I don't want to just leave you alone."

Tsubaki pointed towards where Kim and the others were. "I'll just hang out with them for a bit. But don't forget what I told you about not getting your hopes up."

Maka frowned and let out a pout before nodding her head and walking off in the opposite direction to try and find Kid.

~X~

"Soul, could you at least please try to smile in one of these pictures? I took off work for this you know." Soul's father grunted out as he browsed through the group photos they had just taken.

'Nobody forced you to come here though.' Soul thought with a growl, as he forced himself to crack a smile for the sake of not having to hear his father complain any longer.

"Finally, at least this one of these photos came out decent. By the way Soul, how come you didn't graduate honors? If I remember correctly, when Wes was in high school he graduated in the Top 10% of his class." Soul's mother asked.

Soul shrugged and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "That would have taken too much effort I guess."

Soul's father narrowed his eyes at that statement. "Don't get smart with your mother now! Maybe if you actually tried like your brother Wes does, we wouldn't be so hard on you. It's a surprise that you even graduated at all with the grades and attitude that you have."

Soul uttered a curse under his breathe and turned away from his parents. "I'm going to go find Black Star now."

Wes sighed as he watched his brother leave without another word while their parents shook their heads in dismay.

"I'll go after him." Wes stated, as he trailed after his brother into the swarm of students.

Black Star had been taking some silly photos with his friends and Sid when he noticed Soul come up to him.

"Hey man, I thought you were still taking some pictures with your family." Black Star asked, as he greeted Soul with their usual high-five and handshake.

Soul shrugged and shook his head. "I'm tired of hearing their complaining. Let's head over to that party at the park you were talking about earlier."

Black Star frowned and looked behind Soul. "It seems like your bro still wants to talk to you though."

Soul sighed and turned around to face his brother. Wes said nothing as he looked Soul up and down with a smile.

"Congrats on graduating. You've crossed a big milestone today." Wes said with a grin.

"Yeah, thanks I guess." Soul muttered tiredly, he didn't honestly need compliments from his brother to feel better.

"Don't let what Mom and Dad said get to you. You know they only just want the best for you." Wes continued on.

Soul frowned and took off his cap to wipe away the sweat that was beginning to form from just standing still in the sun.

"They don't want what's best for me. They want what's best for you." Soul hissed out.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Wes asked, quirking an eyebrow at his tone.

Soul only nodded his head and turned away from his brother. "I'm going to get going now. There's a grad party at the park that's already starting to begin."

As Soul started to walk away though, Wes reached his hand out and touched Soul's shoulder in order to get him to stop.

"Okay, this isn't just about our parents is it? This is also about what happened between me and Blair, right?"

Soul flinched for a second, but said nothing as he remained facing backwards towards his brother.

Wes sighed when Soul chose not to respond. "How many times do I have to tell you that it was Blair who came onto me? You just came in at the wrong time and assumed the worse."

Soul felt his hands tighten into fists as he brushed Wes's hand off of him. "True, maybe you didn't do anything to provoke that situation. But the fact still stands that once Blair came onto you, you didn't do anything to stop her."

As Soul finished his statement, he started to walk away again back towards Black Star's car without looking back to see Wes's facial expression.

'I really need to hurry up and find a place to go to this summer. There's no way in hell I'll be able to tolerate spending a whole summer around my family if today is anything to go by…'

X~

Maka had been endlessly wandering the halls of Kid's mansion when she finally got a glimpse of him further down the hall.

Maka's eyes lit up in excitement as she began to walk up to him before she realized he was currently talking to Liz and backed away from out of their view.

'Oh no, this is just like a few months ago when Kid revealed he had feelings for Liz…'

"Liz, I wanted to give you this as a graduation present." Kid stated, as he handed Liz a small gift wrapped present.

Liz smiled and shook her head. "You didn't have to do that Kid! You've already done so much for Patty and I. We should be the ones giving you a gift."

Kid shook his head. "And you've done so much for me also. Having this graduation party in general was a huge turning point for me, especially since everything isn't as symmetrical as I would like it to be."

Liz grinned and sighed as Kid forced the gift into her hands. Liz carefully opened it up and revealed a matching pair of sky blue earrings.

"Oh, this is beautiful Kid! I can't accept these!" Liz cried out.

Kid smiled and laughed lightly. "It's fine Liz. Consider it a thank you present for helping me out with my OCD issues and being understanding and patient with me."

Liz blushed and pulled Kid into a hug. "Thank you so much Kid! Ah, um I'm going to go check on Patty and make sure she's not causing any trouble." Liz explained hastily as she headed back downstairs to the party.

Maka watched as Liz left and felt her stomach churn uncomfortably. 'I shouldn't be here. All of I've been doing is constantly eavesdropping on their conversations and foolishly believing that maybe the feelings they have for each other weren't real. Tsubaki was right…'

As Maka tried to quietly slip back into the hallway, Kid suddenly directed his golden eyes towards hers.

Maka's eyes widened in shock as their eyes met until Kid eventually gave her a warm smile.

"I'm sorry Kid; I was just wondering where you were! I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation." Maka related to him nervously and quickly.

Kid shook his head and held his hand out towards Maka.

Maka glanced at it for a second before sighing and allowing Kid to guide her to a nearby bench.

"How long were you standing there?" Kid asked quietly, after a few seconds had passed.

"Ah not very long, maybe for just a minute or two." Maka muttered, still feeling ashamed over being caught.

Kid sighed and nodded his head. "Do you remember how I said there were still things we needed to talk about and settle?

Maka nodded her head. "If it's about how I've been acting around Liz and Patty then I can-"

"You and I both know that's not what we have to talk about." Kid stated, cutting Maka off.

Maka sighed and took a deep breath in and out as she tried to calm her racing heart and thoughts.

"Kid, I still have feelings for you and I never stopped having them even after we broke up." Maka said shakily.

Kid smiled a bit. "I know Maka."

Maka frowned and looked away with a sigh. "But you love Liz now, right?"

Kid rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well love is a strong word, but I do have very deep feelings for her."

Maka nodded her head in understanding and was about to stand up to leave when Kid gently grabbed her hand.

"Maka, what are your plans for the summer?" Kid suddenly asked.

Maka looked confused for a moment before speaking up. "Tsubaki and I wanted to possibly go on a summer long trip to Europe, why do you ask?"

"I was curious about your summer plans, but that sounds like a nice idea. Can you promise me that you'll do something for me while you're on your trip?" Kid asked.

Maka squirmed a bit at the thought of what Kid wanted her to do until he spoke up again.

"Maka I want you to be happy. I know it might sound cliché, but I want you to find happiness not only with yourself, but with someone else maybe. I loved the times I spent with you Maka and I'll always treasure you as my first love, but we've drifted apart and if we got back together, our busy lives would only drive us even further away from each other."

Maka bit her lip as she felt tears begin to slip down her cheeks. "I've only felt my happiest when I was with you Kid."

Kid shook his head and gently wiped Maka's tears away. "That's not true Maka. I know you have a hard time trusting and believing in guys, but I'm sure I'm not the only guy out there that can make you happy."

Maka sniffed, but eventually gave Kid her usual determined look that she was known for. "It won't be easy, but I'll try."

Kid nodded his head and gave Maka a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Well, I should get going back to the party, don't forget what I said."

Maka nodded her wistfully as she watched Kid leave and head down the stairs.

'That really was our final goodbye to each other.' Maka thought to herself, as she searched the crowds again for Tsubaki.

It only took a few minutes for Maka to find Tsubaki looking uncomfortable as a random guy tried to flirt with her.

Maka came up to the two of them and tapped Tsubaki on the shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"

Tsubaki turned around and looked surprised to see Maka. Tsubaki quickly noticed how fatigued Maka looked, the faint remnants of tear stains still on her cheeks.

Tsubaki smiled supportively and lightly patted her on shoulder. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

~X~

Soul groaned as another girl tried to come onto him that he had to end up shoving away.

"Everyone at this damn park is drunk!" Soul growled out as, he took a glance at his watch.

The graduation ceremony had ended at around 2 pm and now it was already close to 4.

Soul frowned as he searched around for Black Star and eventually found him in the middle of an arm wrestling match that he ended up winning.

Black Star turned towards Soul and grinned wickedly. "Hey, I just earned myself a quick 50 bucks challenging all these fools who thought they could beat me!"

Soul shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back towards the exit.

"I'm going to head home now." Soul stated with a yawn.

Black Star looked annoyed and shook his head. "Dude, why do you always want to leave parties early? That's not 'cool' as you would say."

Soul frowned and looked over to Black Star's side at the people who could barely stand or were vomiting into trash cans.

"Yeah, because this party is so great, right?" Soul asked sarcastically.

"Anyways, I want to go home to actually research some place to go for the summer." Soul continued on.

"Oh, did you actually come up with a good idea?" Black Star asked curiously.

Soul nodded his head. "It's has to be some place far away from here. I was thinking Europe…"

"Sounds fine with me; how are we going to pay for it? Are you going to 'borrow' some of your dad's credit cards?" Black Star asked with a smirk, as they got back into his car.

Soul grinned at the thought of doing that, but shook his head. "It would be too suspicious if I used his. I have enough money saved up in the bank and I can use my own credit cards that they gave me."

Once Black Star and Soul were back in their apartment, Soul took out his laptop and began looking up places.

"There are a lot of countries in Europe. We need to pick one as our main destination where we will stay at most of the time." Soul explained, as he browsed a travel website.

Soul gazed over a map of Europe before coming up with an idea. "How about Spain? They have some really nice beaches and plenty of stuff to do there."

Black Star shrugged his shoulders. "I like the idea of that. I've never really tried authentic Spanish cuisine either."

"Alright then. I'm going to start looking up hotels and villas in the Barcelona area then." Soul replied back.

~X~

Maka sighed as she struggled through dinner with her Dad. After leaving Kid's party, Maka and Tsubaki had taken a short nap at home before having to get back up again to meet with her dad. While Tsubaki was rather good at hiding any negative emotions she felt, Maka still had trouble not letting her anger or sadness show on her face, which didn't go unnoticed by her dad.

"Are you alright Maka? You haven't eaten much of the spaghetti that you ordered." Spirit asked worriedly, as he watched Maka pick at her food.

Maka sighed and nodded her head. "I'm fine Papa; I'm just a little tired from everything that happened today is all."

Spirit breathed a small sigh of relief as he realized he hadn't done anything wrong to upset her again.

"Um, do you two have any summer plans? This is your final summer before you guys head off to college after all." Spirit stated, hoping to try and bring up a happier topic.

Tsubaki nodded her head. "Maka and I wanted to plan a summer long trip to someplace in Europe."

Spirit perked his head in interest at this. "What country were you guys thinking of going to?"

"We don't know yet. I'm still checking out what each country has to offer." Maka said simply.

"Have you guys thought about Spain possibly? I know an old colleague of mine named Stein who lives over there with his wife in Barcelona." Spirit related.

"Is this the same Professor Stein you've told me about that you went to school with that liked to dissect and experiment on wild animals?" Maka asked.

Spirit grimaced a bit at the memory before nodding his head. "I'm sure he and his wife wouldn't mind taking you around and showing you to some of the sites at least. They're both pretty fluent in Spanish also, which I'm sure would come in handy."

Maka leaned over to Tsubaki to whisper her suggestion. "What do you think Tsubaki? I think Spain does have a lot pretty architecture and attractions."

Tsubaki nodded her and quietly whispered back. "And I bet they have plenty of cute single Spanish guys too!"

Maka blushed slightly and giggled at Tsubaki's joking.

"What are you two laughing about?" Spirit asked curiously, trying to listen in on their conversation.

Maka only shook her head and turned her attention back towards her dad. "We were just thinking about your suggestion and we like it. Tonight we'll start looking up some hotels or villas nearby Barcelona!"

~x~

This ends Chapter 3! Let me know what you think with a review and as always thanks for reading!


	4. You're Still On My Mind

Chapter 4: You're Still on My Mind

"Tsubaki, what do you think of the Hotel Arts in Barcelona? I'm thinking of doing the hotel + flight plan with us leaving on June 6th. Maka asked aloud, as she gazed at a website of the best hotels in the Barcelona area.

Tsubaki didn't say anything for a few minutes which caused Maka to call out her name again and turn in her chair towards her.

"Tsubaki, are you listening?" Maka asked in concern.

Tsubaki snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards Maka.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Tsubaki stated softly.

Maka gazed at her friend worriedly and frowned. "Are you alright? You haven't really been putting in any input to any of these places I've looked up."

Tsubaki sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I know; I was just thinking about Angela; I'm not going to be able to really spend a lot of time with her if we'll be gone the whole summer in another country."

Maka nodded her head in understanding. "Why not spend these next few days then with her? We weren't planning to leave until the first week in June sometime and there's still a week left of May right now."

Tsubaki smiled a bit at the suggestion and nodded her head in agreement. "I'm sorry again that I haven't been of much help tonight. I promise I'll try and come up with some ideas in the next few days of places we can visit at least."

Maka only shook her head. "It is fine Tsubaki; just know you can always come to me if you need to talk!"

Tsubaki nodded her head and quietly left out of Maka's room as she closed the door behind her.

Maka sighed as she gazed at her closed door for a few minutes before turning her attention back towards her desk. It was still filled with little reminders of her past relationship with Kid that she needed to put away: a picture of them together at the park, some simple love letters they had passed to each other in class, and of course the necklace he had given her for their first anniversary.

Maka closed her eyes as she tried to block out the memories. 'Kid told me to try and find happiness with someone else and the best way to do that would be to pack away all these memories. Even if it hurts, hopefully with time the feelings I have for him will start to wane…

~X~

Tsubaki sighed as she hung back up her graduation gown back into her closet. Just as she had placed it back onto a hanger, another item fell down causing her to let out an annoyed huff.

Tsubaki picked up the fallen item and realized to her surprise that it was Mifune's old jacket that he had given her as a present for helping him out with Angela.

A familiar lump started to form in Tsubaki's throat as she gasped quietly and clutched the jacket close to her chest.

As much as Tsubaki tried to resist thinking about Mifune since his death, the old memories of the times they spent together started to fill her thoughts.

FLASHBACK

"I think the book I'm looking for is in this aisle." Tsubaki mumbled quietly to herself, as stared at row of books until she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" Tsubaki apologized, as she quickly stood up and reached her hand out to the stranger.

Mifune frowned at Tsubaki's hand for a second before eventually taking it and brushing himself off.

"It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going either." Mifune stated quietly.

Tsubaki smiled and shook her head as she let go of his hand. "What type of book were you looking for? Maybe we can help each other out."

Mifune didn't look like he wanted to talk any longer, but eventually sighed and spoke up again. "I was looking for the children's section. I wanted to borrow a book for my cousin."

Tsubaki smiled and pointed to an aisle further down. "The children's section is about 3 rows down and to your right."

Mifune glanced in the direction Tsubaki was pointing in and sure enough saw the sign hanging above that indicated it was the children's section.

Mifune smiled slightly and turned back towards Tsubaki. "Thanks for your help. I've been wandering around this area for the past 15 minutes."

Tsubaki beamed, but also gave a confused expression. "Why didn't you just ask for help?"

Mifune shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really like to ask people for help. Anyways thanks again."

Tsubaki nodded her head and allowed Mifune to walk by her. Tsubaki watched him go and smiled gently.

'He seems like a nice person even though he was quiet. I wonder if we'll meet again at some point.' Tsubaki thought to herself, as she started to look again for her book.

A few weeks later to Tsubaki's surprise, she did indeed see Mifune again, this time when she was at the mall with Maka.

"Mifune, can you please buy me an ice cream?" Angela cried out, as she tugged on Mifune's jeans and pointed towards the nearby stand.

Mifune sighed and shook his head. "I just gave you a piece of chocolate. You're not going to be able to take your afternoon nap if I give you too much sugar."

Angela pouted and looked like she was ready to start throwing a temper tantrum when Tsubaki walked up to him.

"Hi, I don't know if you remember me, but we met in the library a few weeks ago. This must be your cousin that you were talking about from before." Tsubaki said, as she greeted both Mifune and Angela.

Mifune looked confused for a moment before he started to remember. "Oh that's right, you helped me find the children's section."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head before bending down to properly greet Angela. "Hi Angela, I know we haven't met before, but I'm Tsubaki."

Angela gazed at Tsubaki cautiously as she took a quick glance at Mifune to see if it was okay to trust her.

Mifune smiled and nodded his head towards Angela who smiled and greeted Tsubaki excitedly.

"Hello, I'm Angela; I just turned 4! Are you my cousin's girlfriend? Tell him to buy me some ice cream!" Angela asked in a rush.

Tsubaki blushed slightly at Angela's questions and shook her head. "Ah, I just met him."

Mifune sighed and ruffled Angela's hair in order to get her to stop talking. "I'm sorry about that. Angela likes to jump to conclusions whenever she meets someone new."

Tsubaki only smiled and stood back up properly. "It's fine really; Angela is only a child after all. Did you ever find a book that she liked?"

Mifune nodded his head. "She loves to read books about witches; I'm glad I was able to find one. Still though, it can be a handful taking care of her on my own."

Tsubaki stared between Mifune and Angela for a minute before an idea popped into her head.

"I know we just met, but I can help you babysit her if you really needed the help." Tsubaki suggested.

Mifune's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly shook his head. "Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that! Angela can really be difficult at times, like now for instance." He explained, as he grabbed Angela's hand before she could go running off to the ice cream stand.

Tsubaki frowned slightly, but still remained determined. "Are you sure? It really looks like you could use the help. I've worked with kids before, so it wouldn't be my first time dealing with a troublesome child."

Mifune sighed as he rubbed a hand through his silver colored hair. "You know, I never did actually get your name."

Tsubaki blinked and realized she had indeed been talking to him this whole time without getting his name. "I'm Tsubaki."

Mifune smiled and nodded his head. "And I'm Mifune. I guess if you're really up for the challenge could you stop by my apartment next Saturday around 2 pm?"

Tsubaki thought it over for a moment to make sure she didn't have any prior plans before nodding her head in agreement.

Mifune wrote down the address to his apartment and smiled a bit in relief as he handed the paper over to Tsubaki.

As Mifune turned around to leave, Angela began to speak up again in a huff. "Wait Mifune, you still never got me an ice cream!"

Mifune frowned and shook his head. "I already told you no." He grumbled out, as he slowly pushed Angela away before she could start causing a scene.

Tsubaki walked back up to Maka who had been watching the whole scene with a smirk on her face.

"What was that all about? You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!" Maka asked with a snicker.

Tsubaki blushed and quickly shook her head as Maka continued to tease her. "I just met him in the library the other day that's all. It seems like he could use some help so I'm just trying to be nice. "

Maka arched an eyebrow, not convinced. "It certainly seems like you knew him better than one meeting! Hey, maybe you can invite him to go double dating with me and Kid!"

Tsubaki sighed as Maka started to talk about stuff they could do while going on a double date. After a few minutes passed, Tsubaki took a quick glance down at the paper containing his address and smiled.

'He seems to be a very private person. Maybe I can get him to open up a bit more to me at least.'

~X~

The following Saturday, Tsubaki arrived at Mifune's apartment at 1:55 pm and knocked on his door.

Mifune opened the door up and smiled as he greeted Tsubaki. "I'm glad you could make it. Angela's in the living room coloring."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head as she walked into the small apartment and took a quick glance around. Mifune seemed to stay in a regular 2 bedroom apartment with a simple rustic charm to it. Tsubaki walked over to and greeted Angela who was sitting down by the living room table.

Angela turned her fuchsia colored eyes towards her and grinned. "Hey, you're that same lady from before! You really are my cousin's girlfriend!"

Tsubaki only shook her head. "I just stopped by to play with you for a bit; is that okay with you?"

Angela's eyes brightened as she nodded her head in glee. "Come on; let's go play with the dolls in my room!" Angela cried out, as she grabbed Tsubaki by the hand and led her to her room.

Tsubaki played a variety of games with Angela over the next hour and half until Angela eventually became sleepy and was tucked into bed.

Mifune looked surprised by how easy it had been for Angela to get along Tsubaki and smiled as he watched her gently close Angela's door to let her nap.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were good with kids." Mifune said.

Tsubaki blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I've just had a lot of experience around them, that's all. They have an early childhood program at our school where you can teach kids around Angela's age so it came pretty easy to me."

Mifune's eyes widened at the mention of school. "You go to Death City High School, don't you?"

Tsubaki nodded her head as Mifune smiled and looked out the window. "I remember going there."

Tsubaki frowned at that statement as a million thoughts rushed into her head. 'He remembers going there; how old is he? Oh gosh, I thought he was around my age! 'Tsubaki thought in slight panic.

Tsubaki's facial expression must have started to show on her face because Mifune looked at her in confusion.

"What's wrong? You look like something is troubling you." He asked.

"Ah well, I don't want to sound rude, but how old are you? I'm only 16." Tsubaki asked nervously.

Mifune stared at her blankly before starting to chuckle slightly. "That's not too much of an age difference considering I'm 18."

Tsubaki let out a small sigh of a relief that didn't go unnoticed by Mifune.

"What's wrong Tsubaki? Were you worried we wouldn't be able to date each other if I was like 30 or something?" He asked jokingly.

Tsubaki's cheeks reddened as she let out a huff and avoided meeting Mifune's eyes. 'I panicked for no reason…'

"But seriously though, thanks for your help today. Angela usually has trouble getting along with other people since her parents passed away. I'm about the only family she has, and it gets hard to play with her sometimes when I still have to work." Mifune described.

"What do you do for a living?" Tsubaki asked curiously.

"I teach Martial Arts to some students on the weekends and do some performances with my swords." Mifune replied back, as he walked Tsubaki over to his sword collection in his room.

Tsubaki gazed at the wide array of swords with awe. "Wow that is impressive. I've practiced with a few swords and knives before, but I'm probably not as good as you."

Mifune blushed slightly and shook his head. "Well, you can stop by and watch one of my performances if you want to."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head. "I would like that."

~X~

Over the next few weeks, Tsubaki spent most of her Saturdays and Sunday afternoons at Mifune's apartment helping Mifune take care of Angela while he either studied for school or did small performances around town. By now, Maka had begun asking her when she would properly be introduced to her boyfriend which easily caused Tsubaki to blush and deny that anything was happening between her and Mifune even if it that wasn't the complete truth.

"Mifune, it's such a nice day today. Would you like to go to the park with Angela and me?" Tsubaki asked him one Sunday afternoon.

Mifune looked up from polishing one of his swords and smiled. "Sure, why not? I finished work early today anyways."

At the park, Angela began to play on the swing sets while Mifune and Tsubaki watched her from a nearby bench.

Tsubaki looked around at all the children happily playing with their parents and blushed as a scenario popped into her head. 'All of these children playing around kind of makes me feel like Mifune and I are Angela's parents.'

Just as Tsubaki finished her thought, Mifune wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer to him.

Tsubaki's cheeks reddened even further as she took a quick glance up at Mifune whose cheeks were also slightly red.

"You know, at first I thought it would be hard to really trust you and believe you would keep your word to come and visit Angela on the weekends, but you actually did. You're not like most 16 years old I've met or seen before." Mifune muttered quietly.

Tsubaki smiled and nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "You always bring up the fact that I'm 16. I thought you said the age difference between us wasn't a big deal."

Mifune laughed lightly and shook his head as he watched a cloud pass by in the sky. "Well technically speaking, you're still a minor and I'm an adult."

Tsubaki pouted a bit, but then Mifune spoke up again. "But I guess even with those differences aside, I still can't help the fact that I have feelings for you." He finished with a sigh, as he turned Tsubaki towards him and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.

Tsubaki sighed in contentment and moved slightly closer to Mifune as the world around them seemed to drift away.

The two of them spent the rest of the time at the park comfortably holding hands and Mifune even gave her a goodbye kiss as she left that made her giddy during her walk all the way home.

"Okay, I think we can really consider doing the double date now. I asked Mifune about it and he said he was okay with next Saturday!" Tsubaki related excitedly to Maka, who was currently making lunch.

Maka grinned and turned off the stove to properly face her. "It's about time! I'll call Kid and let him know!"

The double date turned out well, Maka asked Mifune a few questions about his life, while Mifune finally opened up a bit about some of the stuff he did back when he was a student at Death City High and the plans he had for the future. When the time came for them to split up, Maka mouthed to Tsubaki to let her know all the details of what they did together once she got back home.

Tsubaki sighed happily as stood outside of the restaurant and watched as the sun went down in a colorful burst of red and orange when Mifune suddenly patted her on shoulder.

"Let's head back to the apartment now. I want to make sure the babysitter we left Angela with is doing okay."

Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement as two began to walk down the street. The two of them had only walked about 3 blocks when suddenly the screeching sound of a car rang in Tsubaki's ears. Tsubaki turned just in time to see the headlights of a car moving straight towards them before everything went black.

~X~

'Oh, where am I? What's going on?' Tsubaki thought to herself as she slowly opened her eyes and took in her environment.

A gasp sounded next to her causing Tsubaki to gaze to her left and see Maka along with all of her friends crying and happily patting each other on the back in relief.

Maka wiped her tears away and carefully grasped Tsubaki's hand. "Tsubaki, you're in the hospital. Some crazy drunk driver hit you and Mifune! I thought you weren't going to make it!" Maka managed to get out with a steady voice.

Tsubaki frowned as she peered over at all her friends as her head started to pound. 'I remember going on double date with Maka and Kid and then we split up, but everything after that is a blur. What happened to Mifune during the crash; did he shield me from it?

A couple of minutes later, a doctor came in and ushered her friends back out into the waiting room to assess her.

"I'm glad to see that you've awakened Tsubaki. You're lucky that you only experienced a mild concussion and a few scrapes and bruises to your legs and arms. You should be able to-"

"Where's Mifune?" Tsubaki asked, cutting the doctor's explanation off as she tried to get the metallic taste of blood out of her mouth and searched the room for any sign of his presence.

The doctor looked confused for a moment at who she was talking about, before he let out a small sigh and looked away quietly.

Tsubaki felt her fists tighten in the bed when the doctor didn't immediately respond to her question. In the few seconds of silence that passed, Tsubaki could feel her heart starting to beat faster as she started to assume the worse had happened. 'Why won't he answer me?! Don't tell me he's- No, he can't be…'

"Ah Tsubaki, I know this may be difficult to hear, but he didn't make it. We tried CPR on him for 20 minutes straight, but we just couldn't get to him in time. If you want we can-"

Tsubaki didn't hear anything else the doctor said as she felt her vision and mind go blurry. 'Mifune is dead? He can't be dead…Why is he dead and I'm not? What about Angela? This is my fault; I was the one who wanted to go out and now he's…'

FLASHBACK ENDS

The months following Mifune's death seemed to go by painfully slow for Tsubaki. A part of her, even now still felt guilty that she was alive while he was dead with a small scar across her forehead serving as a reminder of the incident. Angela had ended up being put into an adoption agency where she still remained even 2 years later. All of the personal items that had belonged to Mifune were given to her, but the only things she chose to keep were some of his swords and of course his jacket.

Tsubaki didn't want to personally admit it out loud, but she did feel a little troubled and nervous about really moving on with a new guy, even if it was supposed to be for just the summer. The way Mifune had died had left her feeling slightly numb to the thought of loving anyone, something only Maka and a few others seemed to actually notice.

Tsubaki carefully hung back up Mifune's jacket and wiped away her tears. "Mifune wouldn't want me to be depressed like this. I should just head to bed now."

~X~

The following morning, Soul and Black Star were basically finishing up the main part of their decision making on at least choosing a hotel to stay at.

"Which hotel would you rather stay at: The Hotel Arts Barcelona or Grand Central Hotel Barcelona?" Soul asked Black Star.

Black Star shrugged and let out a sigh. "Either one is fine with me."

Soul groaned and rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "Can you give me an actual answer instead of just being indecisive? If we go with the Hotel Arts plan for example, we can be out of here on a flight by June 6th."

Black Star frowned. "Hey man, you're the one paying for mostly everything. I don't really care where we stay at as long as it's close to a lot of attractions and women!"

Soul rolled his eyes and smirked. "I don't know why you think you'll actually find someone. If you couldn't even be with a girl for a week here, what makes you think you'll get with someone there?"

Black Star shrugged, but still kept his usual grin. "Well, it's not like I'll only meet women from Spain there. I'm sure we'll run into other tourists or foreigners at some point."

"And besides that, I don't want to be like you and just be moody and alone all summer." Black Star retorted, as he walked out of Soul's room to get a drink.

Soul scoffed and shook his head. 'He does have a point though, but every girl I've talked to has always wanted to be with me for some ulterior motive. They either dated me for my looks to make other girls jealous and make themselves more popular, for the money my family is known to have, or to try and get closer to Wes.'

Soul sighed and for a brief moment his mind wandered back to Blair who he thought would be different from the other girls who loved to flirt with him. Blair didn't seem to really care about his looks or the wealth his family had, and for a while he had actually felt happy when they were together despite the reputation she had built up as a heartbreaker.

Unfortunately though, Soul had made the mistake of not listening to those rumors or his subconscious telling him that he would be hurt eventually by Blair, just like the past guys she had toyed with.

"I like how the Hotel Arts Barcelona looks so book that one. I mean both look good really, but that one seems to have more interesting attractions nearby than the other one." Black Star stated, breaking Soul out of his thoughts as he gazed at the computer screen over his shoulder.

Soul blinked in confusion before nodding his head. It was quiet for a few minutes until Black Star spoke up again.

"You know not every girl you meet will be like Blair or the other girls we knew in high school." Black Star mused, knowing what he had been thinking about.

Soul sighed and nodded his head. "That's easy for you to say. You've never even properly held a relationship down."

Black Star shrugged, but continued on with his statement. "True, I've never have, but I do know this trip will go a lot better if you don't compare every girl you meet to Blair or those other sluts."

Soul laughed a bit at that and Black Star grinned at the fact Soul was starting to feel better again.

"You know, I bet you I'll find a girl that likes me as I am before you do." Soul stated with a toothy grin.

Black Star arched an eyebrow at him and grinned back. "You dare to make a bet with a God?!"

Soul rolled his eyes, but nodded his head. "Even if it's only a summer fling, I believe it is possible. It's not like any girls we meet are going to know my family background anyways."

Black Star smirked and let out a laugh. "Maybe, but you know the ladies won't be able to resist me once I take my shirt off!"

"They have to like you for your personality, not your looks stupid." Soul said with groan.

Black Star stretched his arms out for a bit before holding his hand out. "Okay then, we are both going to find a girl who likes us as we are. The first one to find one has to do whatever challenge the other has in mind."

Soul arched an eyebrow at the mention of a challenge, but eventually shook Black Star's hand in agreement.

"You better not cheat either by just forcing a girl to say she likes you." Soul mentioned with a yawn.

Black Star shook his head. "Unlike bets I've made in the past, I'm actually going to be serious about this one. You should be serious about it too; you might actually find someone you'll start to love!"

Soul let out a scoff at that and leaned back in his chair. 'Just because it's for the summer, doesn't mean I can't try. Even though Black Star tends to come up with stupid ideas or plans, I actually like the idea of meeting someone I can finally connect with without having to worry they are just using me.'

~x~

That's it for Chapter 4! Let me know what you think with a review, and as always thanks for reading!


	5. Departure At Dawn

Chapter 5: Departure at Dawn

"Alright, everything is all booked now. We'll be leaving on a United Airlines flight at 6 am on June 6th." Soul said, as he printed out all the airline information.

Black Star frowned and leaned back in the chair he was sitting in next to Soul. "Why did you pick such an early flight?!"

Soul shrugged as he glanced back over everything. "It's not my fault that was the only option available! Besides, we'll be able to sleep on the flight since the flight time from here to Spain is a little over 12 hours non-stop."

Black Star still looked annoyed at the thought of having to wake up early, but eventually nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, we still have a few days left until the flight. What should we do until then?" Black Star asked.

"I don't know about you, but I need to go buy some clothes at the mall, pack them, and then make some calls to at least make sure we have somebody to pick us up from the airport." Soul mused aloud.

Black Star scoffed and let out a laugh. "You sound as if that will all take a long time to do! I'm pretty sure you could get all of that done in one day!"

Soul smirked and shook his head. "I'm more than likely going to procrastinate and I know you probably will also."

Black Star shook his head in disagreement and stood up from his chair. "I'll have you know that this summer I'm going to break my bad habits!"

Soul rolled his eyes. "I don't believe you. You probably won't even start packing until the night before."

Black Star shrugged and was about to walk out of Soul's room when a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, aren't your parents going to wonder where you suddenly disappeared off to for the whole summer?"

Soul frowned at the mention of his family and looked away. "I doubt they are going to notice that I'm gone, but I guess I can send them a letter the day before we leave."

Black Star arched an eyebrow at that. "If your brother finds out before you write the letter, he might try to stop you."

Soul scoffed and shrugged his shoulders in annoyance. "I'm an adult now, so actually; he can't do anything to stop me."

Black Star grinned and nodded his head in agreement. "Whatever you say; I'm going to take an afternoon nap now that we're done booking everything."

Soul only nodded his head as he stood up also and grabbed his wallet. 'I should just head to the mall now and at least get the shopping part done, that task is the one I'm the laziest about doing so I need to get it over with.'

~X~

"Yay, you came to see me again Tsubaki! And you brought Maka along with you also!" Angela cheered, as she ran up and gave both Tsubaki and Maka a hug.

Tsubaki smiled warmly and ruffled her chocolate brown hair lightly. "You haven't been causing any trouble now have you?"

Angela shook her head and took Tsubaki by the hand to guide her to her room. "This is all the work I've been doing since you last came. See, this one I even got a gold star on!"

Maka smiled as she watched Angela show Tsubaki all her good work before she suddenly ran up to her.

"Maka, play with us too! Games are more fun with more people!" Angela mentioned with a grin.

Maka nodded her head and sat down next to Tsubaki to play another board game. After about an hour had passed, a director came into the room and interrupted their playing.

"Angela, it's time for you to have your extracurricular lessons. Say goodbye to Tsubaki and Maka now." She stated firmly.

Angela pouted and began to tear up. "No! I'm not done playing with them yet!"

The director frowned and rubbed her forehead in aggravation. Before she could speak up again though, Tsubaki turned Angela toward her and calmed her down.

"Angela, what have I told you about controlling your temper?" Tsubaki questioned.

Angela sighed, but still looked annoyed. "You said to count to 10 in my head when I get mad, but I don't want you to leave yet!"

Tsubaki nodded her head and frowned. "I know you don't want me to leave yet, but you need to do your lessons…"

Angela grumbled a bit under her breath and moved closer to Tsubaki to whisper something in her ear.

"When are you going to be able to adopt me? I don't like being here."

Tsubaki nearly started to choke up at the question, but managed to keep a straight face. "I promise you as soon as I turn 21, I'll try to adopt you. The agency just won't let me right now because they think I'm too young."

Angela sighed and nodded her head. "Will you at least be able to come visit me again soon?"

Tsubaki felt her stomach churn. It wouldn't be good to lie to Angela about where she would be for the rest of the summer…

Tsubaki shook her head and noticed Angela started to tear up again. "Don't cry Angela. I may not be able to see you in person over the summer, but I promise I'll call you every day and I'll look into if we can possibly even video chat with each other."

Angela still looked upset and started to stomp her feet. "Where are you going?! Why can't you stay here?"

Tsubaki sighed and patted Angela's shoulders in an attempt to soothe her. "I need to go on this vacation for the summer to try and let go of some painful memories that have been bothering me. I promise you I will come back though."

Angela was ready to argue back, but noticed the serious expression Tsubaki was giving her and finally calmed down.

"You…you won't leave forever like Mifune did, right?" She managed to mumble out.

Tsubaki immediately shook her head and gave Angela one last hug and kiss goodbye before the director led her away.

Outside the center, Maka quietly consoled Tsubaki who wiped away a few stray tears from her eyes.

"Does Angela know that Mifune is dead?" Maka asked in concern.

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, she doesn't like to say he's dead though, but I did teach her the concept of death and how to at least cope with it. I know she would rather just say Mifune is on a long trip to avoid feeling so sad or angry about it."

Maka frowned and nodded her head. "Are you sure you're okay with going on this trip? You shouldn't force yourself to do anything you aren't comfortable doing yet."

Tsubaki smiled and brightened up a bit. "Of course I still want to go on the trip; I was the one who suggested it in the first place! I meant what I said to Angela back there: I can't let the past continue to interfere with my future, I know Mifune wouldn't like that and neither would Kid."

Maka winced slightly at the mention of Kid, but smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe in like a week, we'll be in a different country!" Maka brought up excitedly.

"Let's head to the mall now. Didn't you say you needed to get a swimsuit?" Tsubaki asked, as she pointed in the direction of Death City Mall.

Maka looked confused and shook her head. "What's wrong with the swimsuit I have right now?"

Tsubaki grinned. "It's not a bikini and you said you were going to try and break out of your comfort zone when it came to meeting new guys!"

Maka blushed and pouted slightly. "I never said that; don't put words in my mouth! Anyways, a bikini isn't going to help me meet new guys."

Tsubaki laughed and just dragged Maka by the arm to mall. Once they both got inside, they were quickly surrounded by people on all sides of them.

"The Mall is pretty busy today for a Monday." Tsubaki noted, as she glanced around.

Maka nodded her head in agreement. "It's probably because school is out now though, so people are free to pretty much do whatever they want on the weekdays now."

Tsubaki gazed in the direction of her favorite store: Forever 21. "I'm going to head into Forever 21 and buy some summer dresses and a bag. What are you going to do?"

Maka looked at the mall's directory for a moment before pointing in the opposite direction. "I want to go get a Spanish to English dictionary from the bookstore. I'll meet you back in the Forever 21 once I'm done."

Tsubaki smiled and sighed. "Okay, but just don't get too absorbed in any books you see. You still need to get some summer clothes also!"

Maka laughed and nodded her head in agreement as two of them went off in separate directions.

~X~

Soul sighed and took a glance at a nearby clock. It was currently a quarter till 3 pm. Soul didn't particularly like to go shopping, but if he was going to be gone the whole summer he would need more clothes than just the ones he had in his closet.

Soul was about ready to leave the mall when he noticed the mall's bookstore next to him on the right.

'I normally would never step foot into a bookstore of all places, but I wonder if they have any books on Spain I could at least read about while on that long flight…'

Soul frowned a bit at the thought of going in, but eventually swallowed his pride and walked in. After asking an employee where the international section was, Soul walked over to the books on Europe and searched for a book labeled Spain.

Soul finally found a book titled Spain: Activities and Attractions 2014 and was about to reach for it when a person next to him grabbed it.

Soul blinked and turned his attention to who had taken the book. It was some random girl he had never seen before with ash blonde hair tied into two pigtails with emerald green eyes. Soul scowled a bit as he watched her look over the book and read the synopsis on the back page of it.

Maka had finished reading the summary of the book when she felt as if someone was staring at her. Maka scowled and looked to her side and saw a guy with blood red eyes and white hair watching her with a frown.

'What's his problem? Why is he looking at me like that?' Maka thought in confusion.

"Um, why do you keep looking at me?" Maka eventually asked him.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "I just wanted to look at that book when suddenly you grabbed it."

Maka blinked and looked down at the book and realized what she did must have seemed rude to him.

"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't really paying any attention to the people surrounding me. Here, you can have the book. I already have enough already." Maka stated, as she handed the book over to Soul.

Soul accepted the book and glanced at Maka's side and saw that she indeed had at least 3 other books in a plastic bag that she had already purchased.

Soul smirked and let out light chuckle. "Geez, you're a nerd, aren't you?" He asked bluntly.

Maka blushed and let out a huff as she looked away from him. "What's it to you? You don't even look the type of guy who likes to read!"

Soul shrugged and nodded his head. "We'll you're right about that. Little girls like you should be more aware of their surroundings though."

Maka growled and became even more annoyed with this guy. "I'm not a little girl! I'm 18 for your information!"

Soul grinned even more at how easy it was to tease this girl. "What 18 year old girl still wears their hair in pigtails? That isn't very cool in my opinion."

Maka scoffed and suddenly smirked as she came up with her own comeback. "Well, I don't know many guys who have to announce how cool they seem to think things are."

Soul laughed at Maka's counter. "That was a pretty childish comeback. And I'm surprised any guys even talk to you considering how tiny your tits are!

Maka watched as Soul laughed for a few seconds before finally dropping her plastic bag and taking a book out of it to slam against Soul's head with a loud Maka-Chop.

Soul let out a curse as he rubbed his sore head. "What the hell was that for?!"

Maka huffed and looked away from him. "You should know why; you were being a jerk!" Maka snapped out, as she put the book back into her plastic bag and prepared to leave the store before she got kicked out for being noisy.

Soul watched as Maka turned to go before suddenly reaching out to grab her arm.

Maka groaned under her breathe and casted a side glance at Soul. "Let go of my arm before I break your hand."

Soul frowned at how angry Maka was and quickly let it go. "Look, I'm sorry for my comment. It was just a joke."

Maka rolled her eyes and eventually sighed and accepted his apology with a nod. "So, why is a guy like you in this store then anyways if you don't like to read?"

Soul shrugged and pointed back to the other books on Spain. "I'm going there for vacation this summer and I wanted to read up a bit on the country while I'm stuck on the long flight."

Maka's eyes widened in surprise at Soul's mentioning of going on vacation to Spain also. 'Well that is an odd coincidence. I wonder if he'll be leaving at the same time as Tsubaki and I."

Maka grinned slightly and laughed a bit that didn't go unnoticed by Soul.

"What's so funny?" Soul asked with an arched eyebrow.

"It's just that, I'm going on vacation there also and I thought it was weird coincidence." Maka explained with a smile.

Soul blinked and wondered how that was so funny, but grinned back toothily causing Maka to gaze at his teeth curiously.

"You have interesting looking teeth." Maka mused.

Soul scoffed and looked away. "You mean they look creepy and weird then?"

Maka shook her head and continued to grin. "No, I mean they look interesting as in cool. They remind me of a shark." As Maka finished her statement, she took a peek at her watch and frowned.

"I need to get back to Tsubaki before she starts to worry." Maka mumbled under her breathe, as she gave a quick wave goodbye to Soul and finally left the bookstore.

Soul watched her leave and frowned as felt his cheeks start to redden at her compliment towards his teeth. 'Well she definitely isn't like other girls I've met. Who hits people with books?!'

~X~

Tsubaki let out a sigh of relief as Maka approached back up to her again.

"Where were you? I was about to call you since you weren't responding back to any texts I sent!" Tsubaki asked, as she looked over some skirts.

Maka sighed and shook her head. "I got into a conversation with this jerk and lost track of time."

Tsubaki looked confused at Maka's mention of a jerk. "Was it someone we knew?"

Maka shook her head. "It was this guy with white hair and red eyes we've never seen before. He must have gone to South Valley High maybe."

Tsubaki blinked, but suddenly smirked. "Well you were gone for a long time. This guy certainly kept you occupied even if he was a jerk as you say."

Maka blushed and shook her head at Tsubaki's implications. "I don't want to go after a guy like him! He kept making fun of me and I ended up Maka-chopping him."

Tsubaki frowned and let out a light laugh. "Maka, he was probably just teasing you!"

Maka shook her head in disagreement and pouted. "You know what; he said he was going to Spain also! Oh no, what if we see him there?!"

Tsubaki only grinned wickedly and shrugged her shoulders. "Good, maybe we will see him there and then you'll see that he isn't that bad of a person."

Maka rolled her eyes and went to go pick up some dresses in her size. After shopping for about 2 hours, Maka and Tsubaki headed home to pack up all of their things.

"We leave next Friday at 6 am on United Airlines right?" Tsubaki asked her.

Maka nodded her head before groaning. "I still need to call my Papa and tell him to drive us to the airport."

"Don't forget to also tell him to call Professor Stein to pick us from the airport once we land in Barcelona. I think it will be about midafternoon their time when we arrive."

Maka agreed and wrote down the flight information to have ready to give to her Dad.

For the next following few days, Maka and Tsubaki mainly relaxed at home and made their final preparations for the long journey ahead. When it was finally the morning of June 6th, Maka wearily opened her eyes and shut off her alarm clock that she had set to 4 am.

Maka knocked on Tsubaki's door and found that she was already awake and in a simple purple t-shirt with tan shorts ready to go.

"It's finally the big day!" Tsubaki stated cheerily, as she zipped up one of her bags.

Maka only yawned and nodded her in agreement. "I'm going to call my dad to make sure he gets up and is ready to go on time. Can you get breakfast started please?"

Tsubaki nodded her head and went over to the kitchen as Maka returned back to her room to change out of her pajamas and double check her luggage one last time.

Once Maka returned, she sat down and drank some tea casually with Tsubaki as she took one last look around their apartment.

"It's going to be a while before we come back here." Maka mused aloud quietly.

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "I hope things don't change too much while we're gone."

~X~

Meanwhile at Soul and Black Star's Apartment, chaos was happening.

"Damn it Soul, why didn't you tell me our flight was going to be today?! I've only halfway packed my stuff!"

Soul rolled his eyes and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "You woke me up at 4 am for this?! I told you like a week ago not to procrastinate."

Black Star growled and continued to just throw things into a duffel bag. "You would need to get up soon anyways! The flight leaves at 6 and the taxi is going to come to pick us up in like an hour."

Soul sighed and trudged over to the kitchen to make some toast before returning back to Black Star's room to help him pack.

"Make sure you don't put any liquids into your carry-on luggage or you'll have to end up throwing them away when we get to security." Soul brought up.

Black Star nodded his head and in about 30 minutes, appeared to be done packing all his things.

"Dang man, I'm tired. I'm going to be sleeping this whole flight!" Black Star stated, as he moved his baggage out into the living room.

Soul nodded his head in agreement. "I'm not looking forward to being on a flight for literally like half a day."

Soul rubbed his forehead and tried to remember if he had made sure to do everything. 'I put the letter to my family in the mailbox yesterday. Everything is all packed and ready to go. Now I just need to leave before anyone realizes I'm gone.'

~X~

"Maka, did you check to make sure you had everything! You have your passports and flight information, right?!" Spirit cried out excitedly, once they finally reached Death City's international airport.

Maka rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes Papa; I told you this like 5 times already! It's already 5:10 am now, Tsubaki and I need to check our bags in and head to our gate now!"

Spirit calmed down and nodded his head before starting to tear up. "Be safe you two! Stay together and avoid any areas you find sketchy. Stein already knows your flight should land at about 3:05 pm in Barcelona at gate C6. He'll be waiting for you guys around there."

Maka nodded her head and was about to turn around when her father suddenly held his arms out.

Maka stared at him for a few seconds before rolling her eyes and hugging him. "Why do you always want to hug me?" Maka grumbled.

Spirit sniffed and hugged Maka a bit tighter. "You're my one and only precious daughter, that's why!"

Maka frowned and shoved Spirit away before anymore of his tears fell on her shirt. "Alright now, that's enough of that! I'm going inside now."

Spirit pouted as Maka walked away from him into the airport and turned towards Tsubaki. "Don't do anything too crazy. Have fun and learn some new things."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head and gave Spirit a hug also before following after Maka. Once their luggage had been checked, Maka and Tsubaki made their way through security and eventually to the boarding area where they took a seat close to the window.

Maka sighed and stretched a bit in her chair. "Look Tsubaki, the sun is already starting to rise!"

Tsubaki looked out the window and smiled at how the sun peeked over the horizon and began to light up the fields and airplanes nearby.

Just as Maka sat forward again in her seat, she noticed someone with familiar white hair sitting further down straight ahead of her.

Maka's eyes widened as she quickly looked down before he could possibly notice her. 'No way, that couldn't have been the same guy I met the other day at the bookstore? Though, I don't know many guys with white hair that look so young…'

Tsubaki noticed how uncomfortable Maka had suddenly gotten and tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"What's wrong Maka? Are you cold or hungry?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka shook her head and pointed ahead. "I think that guy with the white hair sitting further down is the same guy I was telling you about I met at the mall the other day."

Tsubaki blinked and peeked ahead and saw the white haired guy talking to someone with blue hair.

Tsubaki had only been staring at them for about a minute, when suddenly the blue haired guy turned to look at her and gave her a wink and a smirk. Tsubaki frowned and blushed slightly and quickly looked away out the window.

"What happened; do you think they noticed us? I didn't think they were going to be on the same exact flight as us." Maka questioned.

Tsubaki frowned and shrugged. "Perhaps, his friend with blue haired friend just looked at me."

'Blue hair? That's even odder than having white hair. Didn't I meet someone with blue hair a long time ago though?' Maka thought to herself, as she leaned back in her chair to try and remember.

~X~

"So that girl with the pigtails over there hit you with a book?" Black Star questioned, with a laugh.

Soul frowned and nodded his head as he watched her make a poor attempt to hide away from his view.

"Geez Soul, already pissing off girls and we haven't even left yet! You're definitely going to lose our bet if you make fun of every girl you come across."

Soul rolled his eyes and let out a scoff. "I was just teasing her. She calmed down when I apologized."

Black Star grinned and nudged Soul slightly. "It's not like you to really flirt with a girl like that! If they're final destination is Barcelona like it is for us, you could take the opportunity to get to know her better."

Soul sighed and shoved Black Star's arm away. "I wasn't flirting with her and besides, I'm not into nerdy flat chested girls like her."

Black Star only shook his head and laughed. "Sure, that's why you started blushing when she told you had cool teeth, huh?"

Soul growled and said nothing back as he ignored Black Star's teasing until one of the flight attendants announced they were going to begin boarding soon.

"What area are we in sitting in?" Black Star asked with a yawn.

"I don't know the exact number, but we're sitting towards the back." Soul replied back, as he glanced over his boarding pass.

Black Star frowned at that and sighed. "Well, at least we'll be close to the bathrooms maybe."

Soul nodded his head and let out a sigh of relief when it was finally their turn to board. As they walked down the aisle, Soul noticed sitting in front of their seats was the same pig tailed girl and her friend. Soul's eyes met Maka's as she pouted and Soul smirked.

"So you really are going to Spain at the same time as me then, huh?" Soul asked with a grin.

Maka nodded her head before eventually smirking back. "You better not have any smartass remarks to say to me again or I'll chop you."

Soul scoffed and was about to say a mean comment back to her just to piss her off, when Black Star suddenly cut in and took the seat by the window. "Damn Soul, you can start flirting or making out with her later! Let's get some sleep first!"

Maka and Soul both blushed and glared at Black Star for that comment, but Tsubaki only laughed in agreement with him.

Maka huffed and turned away from Soul and Black Star to sit properly in her seat and buckle up.

'I can't believe we ended up sitting next to the both of them; I bet they're both jerks! This flight is going to feel even longer now that we're forced to be close to them.' Maka thought with a sigh.

~x~

This ends Chapter 5! Let me know what you think with a review, and as always thanks for reading!


	6. Unwanted Meetings

Chapter 6: Unwanted Meetings

'Why is it so hard for me to just stay asleep?' Tsubaki pondered to herself, as she tossed and turned a bit in her seat in an attempt to get comfortable.

It had been about 2 hours now since the take-off of the flight and Tsubaki figured that she had slept for maybe only the first 45 minutes.

'I know why I can't get to sleep; it's because I keep thinking about Angela and wondering if she's okay.' Tsubaki thought to herself with a sigh.

Tsubaki looked to her left to see how Maka was doing and smiled when she saw that she was already fast asleep with her head leaning at an angle against a pillow a flight attendant had given them.

'Well at least one of us is able to get some sleep. Maybe if I read one of these magazines in this front pocket or stretch a bit, I'll get sleepy enough.' Tsubaki mused to herself, as she stretched her arms out and let out a yawn.

"So you can't sleep either, huh?" A voice asked from behind her.

Tsubaki blinked in confusion and looked around for the owner of the voice. It couldn't have been Maka since she was still sleeping and it sounded too masculine.

"I'm behind you." The voice went on, as he lifted a hand up to wave to her.

Tsubaki frowned and wondered for a moment if she should even talk to this guy. 'Well I guess it would be rude to just ignore him, even if his friend was a bit mean to Maka, maybe he isn't so bad.'

Tsubaki unbuckled her seatbelt and peeked up from behind her seat to face Black Star.

Black Star grinned when he saw he had gotten Tsubaki's attention and put down the magazine he had in his hands.

"Hey, I figured you were having trouble sleeping and might need someone to talk to." He explained with a smirk.

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at that and smiled slightly. "What makes you think that?"

Black Star only continued to smirk and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Well, most people don't toss and turn that much in their sleep or stretch."

Tsubaki's smile diminished slightly at that statement as she started feeling cautious of him. 'What the? How long has he been watching me for? I thought he would be fast asleep by the way he was talking earlier…'

"Anyways, is this your first time on an airplane?" Black Star asked, breaking Tsubaki out of her thoughts.

Tsubaki shook her head. "I've traveled back and forth between Japan and the U.S. before to visit family."

Black Star's eyes lit up at that as he nodded his head in understanding. "Hey, met too! I've been to Japan at least twice now."

"What did you go there for?" Tsubaki asked curiously.

Black Star puffed his chest up a bit as he pointed one finger upwards. "To show the world how great I am of course! I was number one at our school in wrestling and martial arts, so my coach suggested last year I take a summer trip to Japan to compete in some tournaments there with people who were closer to my level."

Tsubaki resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Black Star's bragging and instead nodded her head politely.

"And guess what? Nobody was able to beat me there either! It's not their fault though, they haven't reached the level of my perfection yet with the training they were doing." Black Star continued on.

Tsubaki internally scoffed at how arrogant and egotistical Black Star was being, but hid her annoyance by continuing to smile respectfully.

'If Mifune was still here, I bet this guy would be knocked out in 5 minutes by him. He's way too cocky to be taken seriously.' Tsubaki thought to herself with a sigh, but then frowned as she realized she wasn't supposed to be thinking about him.

Black Star noticed Tsubaki's frowning and decided to change the subject.

"So, what are you and your friend heading to Spain for?" He questioned.

Tsubaki shrugged and paused for moment to think up an excuse to tell him. "Just to get away from it all I suppose. Maka and I are going to different colleges and we wanted to enjoy the summer together before we went our separate ways for a while."

Black Star nodded his head in agreement. "Soul and I also; we're going to be in Spain for pretty much the whole summer until around late August."

Tsubaki was about to respond back when the plane started to experience slight turbulence. The pilot turned back on the seatbelt sign and Tsubaki realized she needed to turn around and sit properly in her seat again.

"Hey, we might see each other again in the city perhaps! It was nice talking to you; I'm Black Star by the way." Black Star said with a chuckle, as he watched Tsubaki adjust herself back into her seat.

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head, but huffed slightly under her breathe at the thought of having to see Black Star again.

'I don't think I've ever met a guy who was so full of himself. How could anyone enjoy spending time around a guy like that?' Tsubaki mused, as she tried to go back to sleep again.

Black Star watched Tsubaki for a minute from the corner of the seat before frowning. 'She paused for a second when I asked her why she and her friend were going to Spain. I don't think this is just a normal vacation for them to be going on; she was definitely hiding something from me…'

~X~

Maka wearily opened her eyes as she felt someone tapping her. Maka glanced upwards and saw one of the stewardesses was trying to get her attention.

"Miss, what would you like to eat for our light lunch? You have a choice between the chicken with rice or the beef stir fry."

Maka stared at the two options for a minute before pointing to the chicken with the rice. Maka turned towards Tsubaki and lightly poked her shoulder to wake her up as well.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Tsubaki asked drowsily.

"They're serving us lunch. What do you want to eat and drink?" Maka replied back.

Tsubaki lifted up her head and saw that Maka was getting the chicken and decided to get that also along with some water.

Once the stewardess had passed them their trays, Tsubaki pushed her blanket down and rubbed her eyes to better see clearly.

"You must have been pretty tired." Maka stated jokingly, as she took her fork and spoon out of its plastic container.

Tsubaki nodded her head. "You were out earlier also. I had so much trouble getting to sleep though."

Tsubaki turned towards the window and gazed out into the blue sky and watched as they passed over a few clouds before turning her attention back towards her food. She wasn't that hungry, but who knows when they would be getting their next meal.

"How long have we been on this flight now?" Tsubaki asked, noticing it seemed like it was somewhere in the late morning or early afternoon now.

Maka turned on television monitor in front of her seat and clicked towards the map.

"Almost 4 hours now. That means we still have about 8 hours left." Maka reasoned.

Tsubaki sighed and rubbed her head as she started to take a few bites of her chicken.

"Earlier that guy talked to me." Tsubaki mumbled out after a few minutes had passed of them silently eating.

Maka looked confused for a moment before moving her eyes towards behind her to quietly ask if it was Soul.

Tsubaki shook her head. "It was his friend. His name is Black Star and his friend's name is Soul."

Maka looked bored and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care what their names are. They're both annoying."

To Maka's surprise, Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement with her.

"He kept going on about how great he was! I can't believe he has any friends with a personality like that." Tsubaki whispered.

Maka laughed lightly before a thought occurred to her. "I know this going to sound weird, but I think I've met that Black Star guy before."

Tsubaki looked confused and waited for Maka to finish drinking her juice before she continued on.

"Remember how I told you a long time ago I used to live on the other side of Death City when my parents were still together?" Maka said.

Tsubaki nodded her head, but wasn't sure what connection could be made from that.

"I think we went to the same elementary school before I moved away with my dad onto the side of city where we currently live at." Maka continued on thoughtfully.

"Are you sure? Elementary school was many years ago after all." Tsubaki mentioned.

Maka nodded her head. "I remember because he had an annoying personality like the one you just described to me. He was always challenging people to fights and he's pretty much the only guy I remember meeting that has blue hair like he does."

"Wow, so that means he's always had a smug attitude pretty much his whole life." Tsubaki whispered with a huff.

"I wonder if he remembers you though." Tsubaki added in as an afterthought.

Maka frowned and shook her head. "We didn't talk too much and it's been so long now like you mentioned before so… hopefully not!"

"Anyways, this is why I think it's for the best that we just ignore them. I'm sure guys like them only care about being with girls that look like models with huge breasts." Maka assumed quietly.

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head. "Maka, you think that way about basically every guy you meet from the get go."

Maka frowned and shook her head in disagreement. 'That's not true. I didn't think that way about Kid, but Liz does pretty much fit that description. I wonder if that's why Kid likes her so much…'

Tsubaki noticed where Maka's thoughts had seemed to wander to and lightly shook her shoulder to snap her out of it.

"Maka, stop thinking about him." She whispered, they really need to distract their minds for the rest of this flight.

Maka blinked before sighing and nodding her head. "Sorry, old habits die hard."

~X~

"Ugh, this food tastes terrible." Soul grumbled out, as he irritably took a few bites of the beef.

Black Star shrugged next to him as he picked at his food also. "You should've gotten the chicken like me then. Airplane food is never known to be that good unless you're sitting in first class."

Soul sighed and nodded his head as he leaned back in his seat as he mulled over either going back to sleep or checking out the movie options available after he was done eating.

Black Star finished up eating the rest of his meal and started to nudge Soul to get his attention.

Soul frowned and looked at him annoyance. "What do you want?"

Black Star pointed at the seat ahead of him and grinned. "I was talking to her earlier. I overheard them talk and I now know her name is Tsubaki while her friend's name is Maka." He stated in a surprisingly quiet tone of voice.

Soul shrugged in disinterest. "And I should care why?"

Black Star sighed and shook his head as if the answer was obvious. "I won't look good to her if you continue to be a jerk to her friend."

Soul rolled his eyes and smirked. "Don't tell me you're going after the first girl who actually managed to have a conversation with you! We haven't even landed yet."

Black Star scoffed, but started to grin. "There's something about her that makes me want to get to know her better."

Soul arched an eyebrow at that. "Like what exactly?"

"I asked her what her and her friend were going to Spain for and I don't think she gave me the full answer." Black Star explained.

Soul yawned and gave Black Star a blank expression. "So what if she lied to you? You're just a stranger to her and she doesn't have to be completely honest with you."

Black Star sighed and nodded his head. "Still, I think I'm the perfect guy for her to open up to! Don't you think so?"

Soul laughed and shook his head. "If anything, by the time she gets to know you better, she'll be turned off by how annoying you can be and avoid you at all costs!"

Black Star growled at Soul's joke and angrily pushed him hard enough in his seat that it caused him to bump into someone walking down the aisle.

Soul frowned and turned his crimson eyes up towards the person he had bumped into and realized it was Maka.

Maka gazed at him angrily, her cheeks beginning to redden. "Let go of me you pervert!" She hissed out.

Soul looked confused as to what Maka was talking about before he realized that in his haste to prevent his fall, he had accidently groped one of Maka's breasts.

Soul blushed slightly and quickly moved his hands away from her. "Sorry, it wasn't my fault! And anyways, it's not like I was touching much anyways with how small you are."

Maka's emerald eyes darkened in rage as she lifted a hand up and promptly smacked Soul's cheek as hard as she could.

"Jerk! Nobody asked for your opinion!" She snapped out before continuing on her way to the bathroom.

Soul sighed and rubbed his sore cheek as he returned back to his seat and frowned as Black Star laughed and pointed a finger at him.

"That wasn't cool man." Soul grumbled in annoyance.

Black Star only continued to laugh. "Aw, don't be mad Soul. At least you got to feel her up!"

Soul merely scoffed and irritability rolled his eyes. "There was nothing to feel on her."

Black Star smirked and shook his head. "Liar, you know you enjoyed it."

Soul sighed and looked away from Black Star before he could notice he cheeks reddening again. 'When is this flight going to be over?'

~X~

For the remainder of the flight, Maka and Tsubaki passed the time by playing cards and watching the movies available while Soul and Black Star spent most of it sleeping. Eventually, the pilot announced they were about to land and all 4 of them let out a sigh of relief when they were finally going to be on land again soon.

"I hope we don't come across anymore guys like that." Maka huffed out to Tsubaki as she watched Soul and Black Star walk to baggage claim ahead of them.

Tsubaki laughed a little at how angry Maka was, but nodded her head in agreement. "At least the flight is over with now."

Just as Tsubaki finished her sentence, a man walked up to the two of them.

"See Marie, I told you that it was gate C6. You had us walking all over the place for the past 30 minutes." Stein related to her tiredly, holding up a picture of Maka to make sure it was her.

Marie frowned at him before smiling at both Maka and Tsubaki. "It's nice to finally meet you two! Spirit has told us so much about you; welcome to Barcelona!"

Maka and Tsubaki took in their appearances with a smile and greeted them back. "Why do you have a screw in your head?" Maka asked Stein.

Stein grinned and creepily turned the screw a bit. "It's just an accessory. Why, do you want one too?"

Maka immediately shook her head, slightly disturbed while Marie nudged Stein to stop being so weird.

"Anyways, let's head to baggage claim now! I'm sure you two are tired and want to head to the hotel as soon as possible!" Marie exclaimed happily, as she started to walk towards her left.

Maka, Tsubaki, and Stein watched her in confusion before pointing in the opposite direction.

"Wait, baggage claim is the other way!" Maka called out to her.

Marie blinked and noticed a sign that indeed said baggage claim was the other way.

"Oh, my mistake! I was just testing you guys!" Marie stated with a laugh, slightly embarrassed.

As they all walked to baggage claim, Tsubaki turned to Stein to ask him a question.

"So, how long have you two been living in Spain?" She asked, trying to get a conversation going.

Stein smiled and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think almost 5 years now. It's been quite a long time since our college days."

Marie nodded her head in agreement. "You know, we're both graduates from Death City High also! We both met here though in college when we were doing our studies in research."

Maka smiled and sighed as she looked out the window and watch a few planes take off and land against the clear sky.

"I hope the weather stays nice like this while we're here!" Maka mused aloud, it was a nice change of pace from the hotter summer weather they were used to in Death City.

"Oh it should! You came at a good time of the year. We just came out of a drought, so we did have a lot of rain last week, but now it's finally starting to clear up!" Marie explained cheerfully.

"How long do you guys plan to stay here anyways?" Stein asked.

"We'll be here basically until mid-August. Do you think we'll have enough to do?" Tsubaki replied back.

Stein shrugged his shoulders, but nodded his head. "You should, especially if you ever want to travel to one of the neighboring countries at some point."

After picking up their luggage, Stein led them to his car and typed in the directions to the hotel into his GPS.

"Did your flight go okay? 12 hours in the air is quite a long time." Marie questioned, once they had gotten back onto the road again.

Maka frowned and rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Besides these two annoying guys behind us, I guess you can say it was okay."

Marie laughed at that and turned back around to face forward while Maka and Tsubaki grinned and pointed at the unique Spanish architecture they passed as they left the airport.

It didn't take long for Stein to eventually reach the hotel in about 15 minutes.

Once Stein parked his car, a nearby bellboy came up to them and helped take Maka and Tsubaki's bags up to their rooms after they properly checked in at the reception.

"I'm glad they were able to put our rooms basically right next to each other!" Maka mentioned, as she took in the beautiful seafront view and took a sweeping glance around at the bathroom and dining room.

"Yeah, it seems like the hotel is pretty much booked so we're lucky they we were able to get the rooms towards our preference." Tsubaki said, as she took a seat on the plush grey sofa.

"I didn't realize this hotel was so big; I mean it must have at least 40 floors if were on the 30th floor right now. And you both have so much space for just one person." Marie mused curiously, walking around the room with them.

"Well, we knew we were going to have a lot of room, it's just a bit of a surprise how much space it really is. The Art's suite really comes with a lot and it's only one bedroom." Maka pointed out.

Stein meanwhile had poured himself a drink from the complimentary champagne the hotel gave to each guest in their kitchen and came back into the living room to greet them all again.

"So what places do you want to visit? Marie and I have to work this weekend, so we can't really take you anywhere, but next week we do plan to take off to show you around."

Maka smiled and shook her head. "We made a list of some places we want to check out, but we're in no rush to go see them. We can just chill and check out all the activities offered at the hotel for the time being."

Stein nodded his head in agreement as Marie fished for something out of her purse.

"Here, this is a cellphone you can use to call us. Stein is often on the go between working at the hospital and his nearby office, but I should be available to talk and plan out places with you guys to go after I get off work around 5 pm." Marie described, as she handed a blue cellphone to Tsubaki.

"Where do you work at Mrs. Marie?" Maka asked kindly.

"Oh, please just call me Marie! I feel old when people call me Mrs. And I work at a high school down the road." Marie replied back.

Maka beamed and nodded her head. "Thanks again for picking us up from the airport."

Stein and Marie smiled and moved towards the door to leave and let Maka and Tsubaki get situated.

"Hey it's no problem; we're going to make sure you enjoy your summer here in Spain! Let us know if you have any questions." Marie went on cheerfully, as she followed Stein out the door and closed it behind her.

It was quiet for a few minutes as Maka let out a sigh and gazed at the landscape.

"So, we're finally here. I think we should unpack and take a nap before heading to get something to eat." Tsubaki suggested.

Maka nodded her head and glanced at her watch. "What time is it right now? I forgot to set my watch to Spain's time. I believe its Saturday afternoon here."

Tsubaki took a peek at her own watch. "It's about 4:20 pm. Our flight landed at 3:30 and it took about 20 minutes to get here, including the time it took to check in and the fact that we were just sitting here talking to Stein and Marie for a bit."

Maka nodded her head. "Okay, do you want to meet at like 7 then? That gives us plenty of time to relax."

Tsubaki agreed and stood up to head to her room that was about 2 doors down. "I'll knock on your door like at 6:45."

~X~

"Dang Soul, you really went all out to book this suite!" Black Star cheered as he dropped his dropped his bags and crashed onto the sofa.

Soul grinned and gazed out the window towards the port. "It looks like the website really wasn't lying when it said we would get a nice view and some additional features from picking this suite.

Black Star nodded his head in agreement. "Where's your room at? Are you in the Mediterranean suite also?"

"Yeah, I'm like across from you and 3 doors down to your left." Soul replied.

Black Star got back up from the sofa and took a walk around the room and grinned when he saw a baby grand piano in the lounge area.

"Hey Soul, if your room really is the same as mine, then you can entertain some guests with your playing!"

Soul frowned and shook his head. "You know I don't like to play for anyone unless I really have to."

Black Star sighed and went over to the kitchen to eat an apple from the complimentary fruit basket.

"Well, I'm still hungry. The airplane didn't give us much in way of food." Black Star mused, as he tossed the apple core away into a nearby trash can.

Soul took a look at the itinerary booklet of the hotel and Barcelona. "It seems like they have at least like 5 different restaurants to pick from."

"Good, we should unpack and get settled then. We can head to one of those places like at 8." Black Star stated.

Soul shrugged and nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, that's fine with me. I'll see you in like 2 to 3 hours."

~X~

"Tsubaki, I'm not in the mood to eat anything fancy." Maka mentioned, as she smoothed out her light green tank top and beige shorts.

Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement. "I'm not really either so let's go eat at Bites then. I looked at the menu and most of the food they serve is simple and quick to eat."

"Where is it located at?" Maka asked, as they both went into the elevator.

Tsubaki thought it over for a second before pushing the button for the lobby. "It's supposed to be next to main entrance hall where we first came in I think."

After walking for a few minutes, Maka and Tsubaki entered the restaurant and were greeted by a waiter who led them to a nice spot right by the garden and gave them two menus.

"This hotel is so pretty. If the hotel looks this nice, I can't wait to actually get to go around the city!" Maka said in awe.

Tsubaki smiled and sighed as she took in the evening view also. Soon, another waiter came up them and took their orders.

"I'll just have the grilled pork with fries." Maka said, as she handed over her menu.

"I want to try the fresh tagliatelle." Tsubaki said.

The waiter smiled and nodded his head and left to place their orders as Maka took a sip of her water.

"What's tagliatelle?" Maka asked curiously after thinking about it for a minute.

Tsubaki grinned and thought of a way to properly explain it. "It's a type of pasta that's native to Italy. I just wanted to try something different to start off our first night here."

Maka smirked and laughed lightly. "Let's not get too carried away here Tsubaki! Next thing you know you might end up hitting on the waiter!"

Tsubaki laughed and shook her head at Maka's joking when she suddenly heard something and frowned.

Maka blinked in confusion at Tsubaki's sudden wary expression. "What's wrong?"

Tsubaki said nothing back as she carefully looked around and groaned when she saw something.

Maka was about to follow Tsubaki's line of direction when Tsubaki suddenly let out a hiss of "Don't look!"

Maka frowned and lowered her voice also. "What's going on? Why do we need to suddenly whisper?"

Tsubaki sighed and pointed one finger slightly towards their left. "Just take a quick peek and tell me who you see."

Maka nodded her head and turned her head slightly in the direction. Maka's eyes widened as she took a brief glance at the two people standing outside the restaurant before quickly turning back to Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki, did you just see what I just saw?" Maka whispered with a pout.

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head. "There's no doubt about it. Those are the same two guys who were sitting behind us on the plane."

~x~

This ends Chapter 6! Let me know what you think with a review and as always thanks for reading!


	7. Taking The Risk

Chapter 7: Taking the Risk

Maka growled and angrily twiddled with her fork. "Why on earth are they even here?! Don't tell me they are staying here also!"

Tsubaki shrugged and sighed in frustration. "They probably are staying here also. It's not a big deal though, this hotel is pretty big and we shouldn't run into them that often."

"It's not big enough to keep them from going to the same restaurant as us though; on our first night here even!" Maka replied back with a huff.

"Let's just keep our voices down and ignore them for now. Maybe they won't even notice we are here." Tsubaki suggested, adjusting the napkin in her lap.

Outside the restaurant, Soul and Black Star were glancing at the menu and pondering whether or not they wanted to go in and eat or not.

"Do you really want to eat here? It's not our only option after all." Soul asked, still reading over the other restaurants that they could go to at this hour.

Black Star nodded his head and pointed a finger inside. "Look, it's the same girls who were in front of us on the flight! This is my chance to get to know Tsubaki better!"

Soul frowned and rolled his eyes. "What makes you think she wants to get to know you better? All you're going to do is just annoy them by interrupting their dinner and-"

Soul abruptly stopped talking and sighed when he noticed Black Star had disregarded what he had just said and walked straight into the restaurant to try and get closer to them.

"Hey ladies; remember me! I can't believe we're staying at the same hotel!" Black Star called to them loudly, causing the other guests at the restaurant to frown and look at him annoyance.

Maka and Tsubaki both blushed slightly in embarrassment at the looks they were getting and scowled as they watched Black Star stroll over to them and take a seat at the table right next to them.

"I didn't think we would be seeing other again so soon." Soul mused, walking up behind Black Star and gazing directly at Maka.

Maka huffed and looked away. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Tsubaki frowned at the tension surrounding all of them and let out a sigh of relief when the waiter finally came back with their food.

Black Star gazed at Tsubaki's order and cocked his head in confusion. "What the heck are you eating? It looks like something somebody threw up!"

Tsubaki internally grimaced and tightened her grip on her fork in anger, but still managed to keep her usual pleasant smile.

"Don't judge it by how it looks, it actually tastes pretty good." Tsubaki replied back, after taking a few bites of the tagliatelle.

Soul tore off a piece of bread left on their table for an appetizer and flicked it in Black Star's direction in order to his attention.

Black Star frowned at Soul, but then noticed the look he was giving him and sat up a bit in his chair to focus on what he had to say.

"What the hell are you doing?" Soul whispered quietly.

"What do you mean?" Black Star asked back.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "Why the hell would you tell her the food she ordered looks like crap?! You aren't going to win her over by being an asshole!"

Black Star blinked as he thought it over for a minute before realizing he did come off as sounding rude.

"Damn, you actually have a point there. When did you become an expert at women?" Black Star asked with a smirk.

Soul rolled his eyes. "It's called having common sense idiot."

Maka watched as Soul and Black Star whispered to each other out of the corner of her eye and sighed.

"Do you think maybe we could request to the waiter that we sit somewhere else?" Maka mumbled to Tsubaki.

Tsubaki shook her head as she took a sip from her water. "I'm pretty sure that could potentially cause a bigger commotion, don't you think?"

Maka pouted and nodded her head and had just finished eating the rest of her pork when suddenly Black Star spoke up again.

"Hey Maka, it's been a long time since we've last seen each other!"

Maka nearly choked on her food and quickly drank some of her water to wash it down as her eyes widened in surprise.

"You remember me?" Maka questioned, turning towards Black Star in shock.

Black Star grinned and nodded his head. "I might have forgotten your name, but I don't forget faces! You still keep your hair in pigtails even after all these years."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew her?" Soul asked, cutting into the conversation.

Black Star shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "That's probably because I wasn't sure if it was the same person. Don't worry Soul; I won't get in the way your romantic pursuit of her!"

Maka blushed a little at what Black Star had said and tossed one of her leftover fries in Soul's direction.

Soul scowled and tried to block his face from getting hit anymore. "Hey, why are you hitting me? He's the one who said that, not me!"

Maka only snorted and turned her attention back to Tsubaki who was just about done with her food now.

"Tsubaki are you ready to go now please?" Maka asked tiredly.

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, let's go before you do something you'll regret."

Maka pouted at that and followed Tsubaki out of the restaurant and back down the hallway.

"What's that supposed to mean? I wasn't going to do anything…yet." Maka mumbled to Tsubaki with a frown.

Tsubaki shook her head and merely smiled. "You have got to keep your anger in check. Don't let their taunting or teasing get to you."

Maka sighed and nodded her head in agreement. "You know that's easier said than done."

Soul and Black Star watched as Maka and Tsubaki had just decided to leave and ignore their existence while a waiter came up to them to finally take their own orders.

Black Star grinned as he paid particular attention to Tsubaki's butt as the two of them walked further away from view before returning back to fiddling with his fork and knife.

"Well, I think that went well; don't you think so!" He stated with a confident smirk.

Soul scoffed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "You really are a moron."

~X~

"Can you believe what he said about my food? Ugh, I thought he at least had some manners!" Tsubaki stated with a groan when they were finally back down the hallway that led to their rooms.

Maka smiled and sent Tsubaki a grin. "What happened to not letting what they say get to us?"

Tsubaki sighed and quickly calmed back down. "I know. It's just hard to keep a straight face and smile when he goes off into how great he thinks he is."

Maka laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "Let's not worry about them. What do you want to do tomorrow? We should check out the spa or the beach."

"I definitely want to go the beach. We can probably spend all day there and who knows what guys we might meet!" Tsubaki said with a smile.

"That sounds good to me! We can head there a little after breakfast time when it hopefully won't be too hot." Maka stated as she walked up to her door.

Tsubaki nodded her head and waved goodbye to Maka as they both turned in for the night.

The following morning, Maka and Tsubaki went over to Café Veranda to enjoy the breakfast buffet.

"Tsubaki, you should try some of these crepes. They taste really good!" Maka stated as she finished taking a bite out of a strawberry flavored one.

Tsubaki grinned and pointed over to an arrangement of fruits. "You should try one of the fruit smoothies. They have some fruits blended together that we've never even had before."

Maka nodded her head in agreement and grabbed a glass and followed Tsubaki out onto to the terrace to enjoy the scenery.

Maka smiled as she gazed at the lush palm trees and gardens surrounding the restaurant. "Today's going to be a good day to go to the beach."

Tsubaki brushed away a fly nearby her plate and smirked. "Don't forget the promise you made before we left for this trip."

Maka arched an eyebrow in confusion that only caused Tsubaki to grin even more. "Come on Maka, don't play dumb! You promised me you were going to wear that bikini you bought from Forever 21 back when we were at the mall."

Maka frowned and looked down at her plate with a sigh. "I didn't forget, though I was kind of hoping you would."

Tsubaki sighed and gave Maka a reassuring smile. "Why don't you want to wear it?"

"I just feel like I don't really have the figure for it. I mean I really like it since it's cute and it fits me perfectly, but I don't know if I'll really attract any guys with it."

Tsubaki shook her head in disagreement. "We just need to head down to that beach and mingle with some people and we should hopefully meet some guys that way."

Maka laughed at Tsubaki's suggestion and finished off the rest of her strawberry crepe. "Tsubaki, you already have Black Star going after you."

Tsubaki scrunched up her face at the mention of Black Star, but suddenly grinned back. "Well, Soul has certainly been teasing you a lot."

Maka huffed and rolled her eyes at that. "All of the conversations I've had with him mostly involved him insulting me."

Tsubaki shrugged and lifted up her glass suddenly. "Let's cheer then to meeting some nice guys before the end of today that we could maybe get to know better!"

Maka smiled and lifted up her glass also as she clinked it together with Tsubaki's.

~X~

Soul stretched lazily as he took a bite out of his eggs benedict he had ordered with toast.

"I'm glad they serve Sunday brunch at a least one of these restaurants." Soul stated with a yawn.

Both Soul and Black Star had stayed up late doing nothing in particular except watching TV and browsing the internet. By the time Soul had woken up at 11 am, he realized he had wasted almost half the day just sleeping in and at least needed to eat something. Before leaving though, Soul had tried calling and knocking on Black Star's door, but received no answer.

'I wonder where he went off to. He couldn't have gotten too far." Soul mused quietly to himself before standing up to leave the restaurant and head back to his room.

Soul plopped back down on the sofa in his suite and opened up the hotel's guidebook.

'Well I guess if Black Star went off to do his own thing, I can also. I don't know what I want to do though, but I'll get bored if I just sit in my room for the rest of the day.'

Soul read over the list of activities and attractions nearby and decided he would just head to the beach for now since he didn't feel like spending any money so fast going out.

Soul changed into his simple black swim shorts and headed down to the beach and was surprised to find that it was already semi-packed for the late morning/early afternoon.

Soul had been trudging along the sandy shore for about 5 minutes when he heard a familiar voice.

"Maka, come out into the waters! We didn't come to the beach to just sit under the umbrellas or read books!" Tsubaki called out to Maka.

Maka frowned for her lounge chair and looked up from her book. "But you said the water was cold! And I just wanted to finish reading this one section that I never got to finish when we were on the plane!"

Tsubaki shook her head and moved out from the water back onto the shore towards Maka and tossed her book to the side.

Soul snickered as he mused over their conversation. 'That girl really is a bookworm if she actually brought a book to the beach.'

Soul was about to continue on his stroll along the beach when he unintentionally heard more of their conversation.

"Don't be embarrassed Maka; there's hardly anyone out here right now! Nobody's going to make fun of your bikini."

Maka sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win the argument and reluctantly got up from her chair and dropped her towel to reveal the light blue bikini she had bought with a floral pattern across it.

Maka blushed and looked around nervously. "I feel so weird wearing this though. I'm not used to keeping my hair down and showing so much skin."

Tsubaki only smiled and grabbed her by the arm to tug her towards the water. "That's why we need to slowly break out of our comfort zones. And besides, you won't meet any guys just hiding in the shadows like that!"

Maka frowned, but eventually starting to laugh and splash water at Tsubaki as the two started to play around in the dark blue sea.

"Don't think I didn't just see you there ogling Maka." Black Star said from behind Soul, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Soul scowled and turned around to face Black Star. "Dude, where have you been since this morning? Have you really been at the beach this whole time?"

Black Star grinned and nodded his head. "I wanted to do some windsurfing while it's still cool out and the waves aren't too rough."

Soul arched an eyebrow at him in confusion. "You don't know how to windsurf."

Black Star shrugged his shoulders and only continued to smile. "It's nothing a God like me can't figure out how to do. Plus, that guy over there is stealing all the attention from the ladies that I deserve!"

Soul looked in the direction Black Star was pointing a saw a tan Spanish guy flirting with Tsubaki.

Soul frowned and turned back towards Black Star "I only see that guy flirting with one girl."

Black Star scoffed and nodded his head. "Exactly! That happens to be Tsubaki, you know the girl I'm trying to get with."

Soul rolled his eyes and only nodded his head. "I didn't forget, but you certainly aren't doing a good job trying to get her attention."

Black Star smirked and started to head back into the water. 'We'll just see about that.'

~X~

"So, are you enjoying your time here in Spain?" The man asked Tsubaki with grin.

Tsubaki nodded her head with a smile. "Well actually, my friend and I just arrived here the other night, but from what we've seen so far this country is very beautiful!"

The man grinned back as he brushed some of his dark brown hair away from his face. "I'm David by the way. I assume that the friend you just mentioned is talking to my companion over there right?"

Tsubaki looked over Maka's direction and nodded her head with a smile as she watched Maka conversing happily with him.

"Hey, do you two have any plans after you're done here at the beach?" David suddenly asked Tsubaki.

Tsubaki shook her head and David grinned and glanced back towards the hotel. "You and your friend should maybe hang out with Victor and me then. We can all meet up later for drinks by the Club lounge if you want to. Ask your friend if she likes that idea."

Tsubaki beamed and nodded her head and walked over to Maka who was still deep in a conversation with Victor.

"I can let you borrow some of my favorite Spanish books. It will help you learn the language better maybe if you're really going to be here for the whole summer." Victor stated.

Maka only smiled and shook her head politely. "That's okay. I already bought some books before I came here and I can't let the money I spent on them go to waste."

Victor sighed and nodded his head as he suddenly noticed Tsubaki's presence. "I think your friend needs to talk to you for a moment."

Maka blinked in confusion and turned around and greeted Tsubaki with a smile and walked a few steps away from Victor to talk privately to Tsubaki.

"They seem nice don't you think so?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka nodded her head. "Victor invited me over to the Club lounge for drinks later; did David ask you the same thing?"

"Yeah, I don't really see any harm in having drinks with them, but they seem a bit younger than us." Tsubaki replied back.

Maka shrugged. "True, but I don't think they are that much younger than us. The legal drinking age here is 18 unlike in the U.S."

Tsubaki seemed surprised at learning that news and was about to reply back when suddenly she heard her name being called out by someone in the sea.

Tsubaki frowned and looked over towards the sea and saw Black Star attempting to windsurf and ultimately fail at it.

"Yo, Tsubaki! Check out my skills!" Black Star yelled out before tackling a huge wave heading his way and ending up underwater.

Tsubaki cringed slightly at the crash Black Star had experienced and rushed into the water to see if he was okay.

'That idiot; what does he think he's doing trying to show off in a sport he's not even good at!' Tsubaki thought to herself in frustration as she reached Black Star's board and saw him lazily holding onto it.

Black Star grinned as he saw Tsubaki come up to him. "Hey, did you see how good I was?!"

Tsubaki rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, I came out here because it looked like you had a bad crash against the sea. I don't understand why you thought you looked awesome out here because you didn't."

Black Star frowned as he mulled over Tsubaki's words. 'Well I wanted to impress her, not get a lecture from her.'

Tsubaki watched as Black Star simply got back up onto the board and looked ready to try again.

"Whoa, what are you doing? You're only going to end up getting hurt again!" Tsubaki questioned.

Black Star only shrugged and sent Tsubaki a wink. "Gods don't give up on things that are important to them. I'm sure you'll see what I mean soon enough with time."

Tsubaki sighed and just walked away from him back onto shore where Maka and Victor were gazing at her curiously to find out what had happened.

"He doesn't want to give up." Tsubaki stated simply.

Maka watched him crash into the sea again and shrugged. "Well at least you warned him. Hopefully maybe the lifeguard will try to stop him if he keeps failing enough."

Victor nodded his head in agreement. "Do you guys know him?"

Maka and Tsubaki immediately shook their heads. "Not at all, he just happened to be on the same flight as us when we were coming here to Spain."

Victor grinned and nodded his head in understanding. "Okay then. Well, let David and I know if you guys want to meet up later. We'll be by the bar around 9 pm if you want to hang out."

Maka and Tsubaki smiled back and waved goodbye to him and David as they headed back towards the hotel.

"Do you want to take a quick shower and meet for lunch later? We've been at the beach for like 2 hours now and this sand is starting to itch." Maka stated.

Tsubaki glanced back one last time at Black Star before nodding her head in agreement and following Maka back towards their chairs where they had left their towels and sandals.

'Gods don't give up on things that are important to them. I'm sure you'll see what I mean soon enough with time.' Black Star's words were still echoing in Tsubaki's mind.

'I don't understand what he could have meant by that. He should realize that trying to act like a God as he calls himself will only lead him to an early death.' Tsubaki mused with a sigh.

~X~

"Are you ready to give up now man? It's getting hot out here and I think you've bruised up your body enough for today." Soul stated, as he watched Black Star wash some water off his face.

Black Star sighed and rubbed his shoulders with a huff. "But I'm about to get this windsurfing down for sure this time."

Soul shook his head in disagreement. "You said that the last 5 times and I'm pretty sure you're about to get kicked off this beach if you continue to try and fail."

"Fine, let's head back to our rooms then. I'm getting hungry now anyways." Black Star stated with a scoff.

As they walked along the side walk, Black Star put his hands behind his head and smirked. "Did you talk to any girls while we were out there?"

Soul shrugged, but nodded his head. "This one girl wanted me to try some Tapas in the Club lounge later."

Black Star grinned even more at that and smacked Soul on the back. "About time you finally started going after a girl. I almost figured for a moment that you were going to make this bet we were having too easy for me."

Soul rolled his eyes and laughed at that. "You actually think you're making progress with Tsubaki?"

Black Star nodded his head. "She's at least talking to me civilly and not trying to hit me unlike you and Maka."

"I'm not going after Maka. I don't know why you keep saying that and thinking that." Soul retorted with huff.

"And have you ever just thought that maybe Tsubaki is only being polite and nice to you because it's in her nature to?" Soul continued on.

Black Star frowned, but eventually started smirking again. "Don't try to change the subject! You don't think I see that you and Maka have some ongoing sexual tension that you both hide by just arguing? I think that as your friend you should take my advice and just give into your desires to fu-"

Black Star was cut off by Soul slamming a fist against his head. "I don't need your advice. Especially not any advice you have on getting girls since you're failing at that."

Black Star rubbed his aching head and scoffed. "Okay, no need to get violent geez."

~X~

Soul internally sighed in relief once he finished his so called 'date' with the girl who had invited him to Tapas. The date hadn't gone particularly bad except for the fact that she had spent most of the date talking about herself and barely letting Soul get a word in until she realized she had somewhere else she needed to be by 9.

"Maybe it's a good thing we never really learned each other's names or she might continue to bother me in the future." Soul grumbled to himself as he glanced at his watch: It was currently about 8:40 pm.

'I don't feel like heading back to my room just yet. I know Black Star is passed out in his room from working out earlier so it's not like he'll feel like doing anything.' Soul mused to himself with a sigh as he ordered a cocktail from the bar.

Soul had only drunk to about halfway down in his drink when he noticed two guys come up next to him and take a seat.

"Hey, do you think those two girls earlier that we met on the beach will actually show up?" David asked Victor.

Victor shrugged, but nodded his head in agreement. "Why wouldn't they? I mean they seemed pretty into us from the few minutes we talked to them."

"I bet if we can get them both liquored up a bit here, they'll even be willing to hang out with us at the clubs in the city where we can really show them a good time." David suggested with a snicker.

Soul's eyes narrowed as he thought over what he just heard. 'I'm pretty sure these are the same two guys that Maka and Tsubaki were talking to earlier on the beach…'

Soul put down his finished glass and noticed out of the corner of his eye Maka walk into the club. Soul's eyes widened in surprise as he took in the little black dress she wore and the light make up she had applied to make her lips and eyes stand out.

Soul gawked at her for a minute before realizing what he was doing and quickly looking away before she could notice his presence.

"Hi, sorry I'm a little late, but Tsubaki wanted to sleep in. I'm still willing to hang out though if that isn't a problem." Maka stated cheerily.

Victor and David gave a quick glance at each other before shrugging and smiling back at Maka. "It's fine with us, but we we're just wondering if you wanted to head out on the town to a different club. We know a place where the drinks are way better."

Maka frowned, a bit unsure at trusting two guys she had just met. "I don't know. I didn't really want to go away from the hotel at this hour."

"Oh, this place is only like 10 minutes away. Trust me; you've got to try the margaritas they serve!" David said with a grin.

Maka sighed and mulled it over. 'Well, I do want to break out of my comfort zone on this vacation and that means taking chances. I'll just have to be on guard to use my fists if they start trying to get a little too friendly with me…'

"Alright, lead the way I guess." Maka stated with a grin as she looped her arms around David and Victor and left the area.

Soul watched them leave with a look of confusion. 'What the hell? I thought Maka would be smart enough to realize those guys don't have the best of intentions. Oh well, I guess that's her problem to deal with not mine.'

Soul sat at the bar for about another 10 minutes before his conscience started to get the best of him that Maka could potentially get date raped if he didn't follow after them.

Soul frowned and stood up from the bar with a sigh. "Damn it, she's lucky that I heard what they really want to do with her." Soul grumbled to himself as he exited out of club and headed towards the lobby after them.

~x~

That's it for Chapter 7, Let me know what you think with a review and as always thanks for reading!


	8. Feelings May Change

Chapter 8: Feelings May Change

Soul made sure to maintain a good distance between Maka and her so called groupies as they headed out of the lobby and down the sidewalk.

"So, what's the name of this club we're going to?" Maka asked David and Victor.

"It's called the Macarena Club. It plays a lot of techno and electronic music five days a week." Victor stated with a grin.

Maka smiled and nodded her head as they eventually approached up to the club. Maka frowned as she noticed the long line going out of it.

"This line even goes around the corner! I don't think we'll be able to get in for at least another hour!" Maka cried out.

David smirked and shook his head as he fished something out of his pocket. "Don't worry about that! Victor and I are VIP members at this club and I'm sure the bouncer will let us cut the line as long as he sees our passes."

Victor and David walked up the bouncer and flashed their golden VIP member cards. The bouncer glanced at them for a second before nodding his head and letting all 3 of them in.

Maka frowned as she noticed the angry looks some of the club goers had given them as they walked in ahead of them.

"I feel bad that we just cut the line like that. I mean all those people were waiting ahead of us and I didn't even have the VIP pass." Maka mumbled.

David shrugged his shoulders and only continued to smile. "It's not a big deal really. They should have come here earlier if they wanted to be inside already."

Maka internally grimaced at how rude David had sounded, but tried to remain calm as they led her up to the bar.

The bartender turned towards them and grinned as he appeared to recognize David and Victor from previous visits.

"Do you guys want the usual?" He asked loudly over the music.

Victor and David smirked and nodded their heads before pointing towards Maka.

"Give her the pineapple margarita with the works." Victor stated, giving the bartender a knowing look.

The bartender nodded his head and went off to make their orders.

Maka frowned and watched as the bartender carefully made their orders. Something was definitely odd about the way he was making her order in particular.

'What are these guys planning to do? There's definitely something off about this situation that I don't like.' Maka thought to herself, as she narrowed her eyes at Victor and David who were jamming to the music unaware of her glaring.

Outside the club, Soul sighed at the long line. 'Damn it, there's no way I'll be able to get into the club in time with a line like this. Maybe it's possible I can sneak in through the back.'

Soul crept around the back of the club and luckily found the back door to be unguarded. Soul pushed the door open and nearly covered his ears at how loud the music was blasting. It was still relatively early in the night and already the club seemed to be filled to the capacity with multicolored disco lights shining across the area. Many of the clubbers were either grinding against each other on the dance floor or drinking and checking out any new members they noticed.

Soul growled under his breath as he pushed his way through the crowds and tried to look for Maka. Just as he saw a girl that looked like her by the bar, he was suddenly pulled in by a girl who was gazing at him with a look of longing.

"Hey cutie; you're a new face at this club! Want to hit the dance floor with me?" She asked Soul, moving so close into his personal space that he could smell the alcohol and smoke on her breathe.

Soul groaned and immediately shoved her away and rushed towards the bar as he started to hear a commotion coming from there.

"Tell me what that bartender put in my drink; I'm not going to ask you again!" Maka snapped at David with a hiss as she shook his shoulders and prepared to punch him again.

Victor glared at Maka and shoved her back as he looked over David to make sure he was okay.

David wiped away some blood from his lips and growled at Maka as he let out a stream of curses in English and Spanish. "Bitch, what the hell did you hit me for? I thought you were looking to have a good time!"

Maka scoffed and threw her drink in both Victor's and David's faces. "Don't act all innocent! You were going to try and get me drunk and possibly drug me!"

Victor wiped the cocktail off his face and let out a sneer. "Fine, be a prude then. There are plenty of prettier girls here at this club than you. Good luck finding a guy with an attitude like that."

Maka growled and started to crack her knuckles to get ready to punch Victor when Soul suddenly blocked her from stepping forward.

Maka blinked at him in confusion for a second before arching an eyebrow. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Soul frowned and turned around to face her. "That's not important right now. Let's get out of here." As Soul finished his sentence, he reached out and grabbed Maka's hand and dragged her out of the club as fast as he could.

Victor glared as he watched the two of them leave and prepared to follow them when David suddenly put a hand on his shoulder.

"I need to go after her! I can't just let her get away with what she did to you." Victor snapped.

David smirked and only shook his head. "Don't worry; we don't need to get our revenge just yet. We'll get her back when she least expects it."

~X~

Once Soul and Maka were back on the street, Maka immediately broke out of Soul's grip that he had on her hand.

"What were you doing at the club? Did you follow us there?" Maka questioned Soul suspiciously.

Soul sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I overheard what those guys wanted to do to you back at the hotel."

"If you knew what they had planned to do, why didn't you stop me before we left?!" Maka questioned with an annoyed huff.

Soul grinned crookedly as he started to walk ahead of Maka back down the sidewalk. "Well it was your own personal problem to deal with that I guess you handled on your own. I just didn't like having the thought in my head that you could potentially get injured even though you should have been smarter about it."

Maka sighed and started to walk a bit faster so she could catch up to him. The two of them said nothing to each other for the remainder of the walk back to the hotel until they were back in the lobby and Soul noticed Maka's bloodied hands.

Soul laughed a little and shook his head as he lifted up one of Maka's hands. "How many times did you punch that guy? You might have put an indent in his face!"

Maka frowned and winced slightly as she moved her hand away from Soul, but still managed to laugh a bit at his joke.

"Good, that jerk deserved every punch I landed on him after what those two tried to pull on me." Maka mumbled with a sigh.

Soul grinned and nodded his head. "Who's going to treat those wounds you have though? It's gotten pretty late now."

Maka glanced at her watch and realized that Soul was right. The whole club fiasco had made time go by fast and now it was already a little past 10 pm.

'I can't bother Tsubaki at this hour. Anyways, these wounds I have aren't that serious and I can handle them on my own.' Maka mused to herself.

"If you packed a first aid kit, I can help you bandage them." Soul brought up.

Maka stared at him blankly and quickly shook her head. "Thanks, but you don't need to do that. You've already helped me tonight anyways. You should just head back to your room and get some rest."

Soul smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd like to see how capable you are of properly wrapping your hands when there swollen and bruised like that."

Maka pouted and looked away from Soul with a frown, not wanting to admit he had a point. 'Why does he care anyways? I've had wounds and injuries worse than this.'

Maka eventually sighed after thinking it over for a few minutes. "Alright fine, I guess I could use the help. But I'm not afraid to punch you next or chop you if you make any of your usual snarky remarks."

Soul laughed and rolled his eyes. "If you try and hit me, you might just end up breaking your hand."

Maka huffed and decided to ignore his comment as she walked ahead of him back to her suite. As Maka entered back into her room and turned on the lights, Soul took a glance around at the living room and the view.

"Your room seems to be just as big as mine. I guess each suite offers different things and designs." Soul mused aloud as he took a seat on the sofa.

Maka only sighed and nodded her head as she walked into her bedroom to try and find her medical kit and wipe off the blood. 'Dang it, which bag did I put it in? I don't think I accidently packed it with Tsubaki's stuff, did I?' Maka thought to herself, as she rummaged through her bags and winced in pain from moving her hands around so much.

"What's taking you so long?" Soul questioned from above her after a few minutes had passed.

Maka jumped back slightly startled and glared at him. "I'm trying to find where I put it. Go wait back in the living room."

Soul sighed and bent down to help her as he started to look through her suitcases. "We'll find it faster with two people."

Maka frowned, but agreed reluctantly and continued to look through one bag while Soul looked through another.

After rummaging over a couple of clothes, Soul briefly stopped and stepped away from her luggage with a slight blush on his face.

"What's wrong? Why did you stop searching?" Maka asked him, eyes narrowing at his decision to just give up.

Soul cringed and let out a sigh as he knew he was probably going to get hit for what he was about to tell her.

"I accidently went through some of your bras and underwear in this bag." He stated quietly.

Maka blinked in confusion before she felt her cheeks redden also. "You idiot! Why didn't you say something earlier?!"

Soul frowned and tried to step back as Maka started to toss books straight at him. "Geez, it wasn't on purpose! How many books did you pack with you; are books that important to you?!" Soul grumbled out, as he rubbed his sore head and cheek.

Maka glowered at him before a look of realization came on her face. "Oh yeah, that helped me just remember! I put the first aid kit in the bathroom."

Soul watched as Maka immediately hurried to the bathroom and came back with clear plastic box with a green lid.

"Sorry, I forgot where I put it. I took it out of my suitcase yesterday." Maka said, slightly embarrassed as she set down the kit on her bed.

Soul shrugged and only shook his head as he stood up and sat down on the edge of her bed and took out the rubbing alcohol and the bandage wrap out of the kit.

Maka sighed and grudgingly let Soul take her hands and cover her wounds. Maka watched Soul work in surprise at how fast he was able to finish disinfecting her wounds and properly apply the wrap.

"Where did you learn how to properly wrap wounds so quick?" Maka asked him.

"I've just seen nurses back in high school have to bandage Black Star all the time after he got injured during practice. I think from watching them so much I just picked up on what you had to do." Soul replied back easily.

Maka smiled and nodded her head when Soul suddenly spoke up again.

"So where did you get those skills like that? Most girls I know usually wouldn't try to take on two guys at once." Soul questioned.

Maka scoffed and shook her head with a smirk. "I've been doing karate since I was in middle school. I've taken on much more challenging opponents than those two guys." 'I wonder if having these karate skills is a turn off to some guys though. Maybe that's why Kid became attracted to Liz or why some guys avoided me so much even after we broke up…' Maka frowned slightly and tried to push the thoughts away with a sigh.

Maka was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by Soul squeezing her hands lightly and standing up from the bed to go back towards the living room.

"Don't get into trouble with anymore guys now. I might not be around to save you the next time." Soul stated with a chuckle as he opened back up the door to head out.

Maka rolled her eyes as she walked up behind him. "In case you didn't notice, I didn't need your help back there to knock that one guy out."

Soul shrugged, but grinned toothily as his crimson eyes seemed to brighten in the dim light of the hallway. "You needed my help bandaging your wounds though."

"I could have done that on my own. It was only because you offered." Maka retorted back with a huff.

Soul sighed and nodded his head before moving in closer to whisper something in ear. "You know, there's nothing wrong with being athletic. It actually makes you attractive."

Maka's eyes widened in shock as she blushed and quickly shoved Soul out the door before he could say anything else. 'How did he know I was thinking about that earlier; did it show on my face? I bet he's just messing with me again.' Maka mused to herself, as she rushed to the bathroom to cool her reddening cheeks.

Soul stared at Maka's closed door for a second before smirking and walking back down the hall towards the elevators. "Well, this has been an interesting night."

~X~

"Oh my goodness Maka, what happened to your hands?!" Tsubaki cried out in shock as she gazed at Maka's bandaged hands once the two of them sat down to eat breakfast.

Maka blushed and twiddled her fingers nervously. "Um, I kind of punched David and almost punched Victor last night when we went to the club."

Tsubaki's eyes widened as she shook her head. "Please tell me you had a good reason to do that at least."

Maka nodded her head confidently. "Of course I do! Those two jerks just wanted to try and get lucky with me by getting me drunk and tainting my drink with some drug!"

Tsubaki frowned and rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Wow, we certainly screwed up our first chances of moving on to some new guys by picking people like that. I'm just glad that you're safe."

Maka smiled and shrugged. "It was really no problem. You know I could handle them."

"You did a good job bandaging your wounds also. I wish you had knocked on my door though last night, I could have helped you with them if you got in around 10 since I did wake back up." Tsubaki mentioned, as she frowned at the bruises and slight swelling still evident on Maka's hands.

Maka blushed slightly and looked down as the mention of wrapping her wound brought back memories of Soul and him calling her attractive in a sense.

Tsubaki noticed Maka's silence and smirked. "Alright Maka, what are you hiding from me?"

Maka blinked and shook her head. "What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

Tsubaki's grin only widened even further. "Well, you just suddenly stopped talking after I brought up your bandages. Did something else happen last night?"

Maka sighed and looked around the restaurant before quietly speaking up. "I wasn't the one who wrapped up my wounds. It was Soul."

"Oh really? I think that was important detail to leave out Maka!" Tsubaki stated with a smile.

"It's not what you think though! I don't even know why he wanted to help me because I didn't ask for it nor need it! All he did was offer to wrap up my wounds and I said yes and that was all that happened I swear!" Maka blurted out in a rush.

Tsubaki didn't look like she believed her and Maka frowned and blushed even more under her staring.

"Is that really all that happened? I mean you took Soul, the guy who has been a jerk to you most of the time since we met him to your room and nothing came out of that? Tsubaki asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes, that's correct. But before he left, he kind of said I was attractive because I was able to hold my own in a fight against those guys using my karate skills." Maka grumbled out.

Tsubaki squealed and practically bounced around in her seat. "Ooh, looks like you and Soul have finally made a connection with each other!"

Maka huffed and looked away. "What do you mean by finally?! He was just being nice; I still don't want to hang out with a jerk like him!"

Tsubaki beamed and only shook her head. "Who are you trying to fool? Me or you?"

"Can we please just change the subject?" Maka stated with a sigh.

Tsubaki pouted, but nodded her head. "Stein is supposed to take us around town today. Where does he plan to take us?"

"I think it depends on how many places we want to go to. We should at least try to check out the marketplace and maybe some unique architecture somewhere like around the town." Maka replied back.

Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement. "That sounds good to me. Let's finish up eating breakfast and give him a call in about an hour."

~X~

"Dude, why you do seem to be so sleepy? Did you stay up late again last night?" Black Star questioned Soul who was barely eating any of his food.

Soul yawned and shook his head. After leaving Maka's room last night, it had been close to 11 pm and the only thing he had did after that was take a shower and watch a little bit of TV before going to bed.

"I went to sleep like at 11:30. I just feel like I woke up to early." Soul mumbled out.

"It's like basically 10:30 am though. I don't want to spend the day at the hotel again; we need to go out and check out some sites." Black Star stated as he messily finished his plate and let out a belch.

Soul gazed at him in disgust and rolled his eyes. "What places did you have in mind?"

"We should head down Las Ramblas street. Not only do they have a lot of attractions there, but they also occasionally have some street performers there that might be fun to check out." Black Star stated with a grin.

Soul smiled and shrugged. "That sounds interesting. We can probably even eat lunch at one of the street vendors and find plenty of stuff to do that will last us into the evening."

"Speaking of which, what did you do yesterday after eating Tapas with that girl? You bring her back to her room; is that why you're so tired?" Black Star asked with a suggestive smirk and wink.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "All she did was talk about herself the whole time and then run off when she realized she had somewhere else to be."

Black Star frowned and shook his head. "Damn, you literally did nothing with a girl who practically threw herself at you. You really are a boring person without me around!"

'It's probably for the best that I don't tell Black Star what else happened last night or else he will just blow things out of proportion as usual.' Soul reasoned to himself with a sigh.

"Are you sure you aren't just holding out on me man? I've known you long enough to know when you're keeping something from me." Black Star stated with narrowed eyes.

Soul shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I'm telling you I did nothing with her. I didn't even learn her name."

"Alright forget that random girl then. You did something else though, I'm sure of it and I'm going to keep bothering you about it until you tell me."

Soul frowned and arched an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

Black Star grinned and nodded his head. "You know me well enough that I will. You can't keep secrets from someone as great as me!"

Soul scoffed and figured he rather as well just tell him now and get it over with.

"Fine, I spent part of the night with Maka. But before you go jumping to conclusions, nothing came out of it.

Black Star waggled his eyebrows and grinned wickedly. "I knew it! You've been sneaking out to hang out with her behind my back haven't you?"

"No, actually I haven't. The only reason I spent any time with her was because it seemed like those guys who they had been talking to yesterday at the beach planned to drug them." Soul explained.

"So what exactly did you then to stop that from happening?" Black Star questioned.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "Basically nothing really. Maka was the only who showed up, so I just followed them to the club they were going to and by the time I found them ,Maka had already beaten one of them to a pulp."

Black Star scoffed and frowned at Soul's explanation. "Dude, that's not how it's supposed to work! You were supposed to bust in there and kick those guys' asses so Maka would have been impressed with you!"

Soul shrugged and stood up to throw away his leftover food in the trash. "Oh well, it's in the past now. I did wrap her bandages and make her blush at least."

Black Star smirked and followed him as he went back out into the lobby. "Oh yeah? What did you tell her?"

"Essentially that being able to have enough courage to fight and stand up to two guys made her attractive to me." Soul replied back smugly.

"Did you actually mean that? She might end up hitting you with a dictionary if you play with her emotions." Black Star mused.

"She already hits me with books even when I haven't done anything that bad. And yes I did mean it, but that doesn't mean something will happen between us." Soul grumbled.

"That's what you think for now. If it was Tsubaki in that situation, I would have shown her how Godly I truly am!"

Soul scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Your attempts to show her that you're Godly have all ended terribly though. Anyways, I'm going to go get a taxi and see how much fare is going and coming back."

~X~

"Wow, we've taken a lot of good pictures at it's not even noon yet! I especially liked the mosaic designs we saw at Park Güell." Maka stated excitedly, as she browsed through some photos on her phone.

"I liked that tour Stein took us through in the gothic quarter. We even got in for a discounted price." Tsubaki stated with a smile.

"You're lucky that you have me here with you guys. Being able to speak the native language means I can at least try and bargain with people." Stein said with a grin.

"Where should we go next? Since it's getting close to noon, maybe we should stop by a marketplace nearby." Maka asked.

Stein shrugged and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well the closest place nearby that I can think of in relation to where we are would be Las Ramblas street. The Boqueria Market is on that street and I know they have some restaurants in the back."

"Is there anything else interesting over there?" Maka questioned.

"The Boqueria Market is a food market so they might have some products you might like to buy as a souvenir. I like to go there to buy animals to dissect, but I haven't gone by recently since Marie doesn't like me wasting money cutting up animals I don't even usually eat."

Maka turned to Tsubaki to see if she liked that idea and who just shrugged in agreement. The marketplace and street was crowded with customers that made it difficult and frustrating to navigate through, especially in the midday heat. Maka and Tsubaki let out a sigh of relief when they were finally able to find an empty table and relax their sore feet. "Everything on this menu is in Spanish. What do you suggest we order?" Tsubaki asked Stein who was sitting across from them.

Stein grinned and looked through the menu for an item he recognized. "How about the Valencian Paella? It's a rice dish that contains a mix of your choice of meat, vegetables, and seasoning. It comes in big pot so we would only need to order one."

"That sounds good, we can order that then." Maka said, setting her menu back down to look outside.

Maka had been only staring outside for a few minutes when she noticed Black Star and Soul walk by and tapped Tsubaki on her shoulder to point them out.

Tsubaki sighed as she watched them. "Why do we keep seeing them wherever we go?"

Stein followed their gaze outside and smiled. "Are those two guys your boyfriends for the summer or something?"

"No!" Maka and Tsubaki snapped in unison startling Stein.

"Okay, no need to get angry. I was just asking a simple question. They don't seem like bad people; that blue haired guy is even playing around with those little kids." Stein pointed out.

Tsubaki blinked in bewilderment and looked back outside and saw Black Star playing a small match of football with some boys by cheerfully showing them how to bounce the ball on his head and knees effortlessly.

"It seems like he's just showing off if you ask me." Maka said amusingly.

Tsubaki watched him with more interest and smiled. 'He probably is just showing off, but at least he is being friendly and teaching them while doing it. I guess even though he can be annoying and dumb, he is still a nice person beneath all that.'

~x~

This ends Chapter 8! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	9. Off The Beaten Path

Chapter 9: Off The Beaten Path

Tsubaki stared at Black Star for about a minute longer before turning her attention back towards the table when she noticed their food had arrived.

Everyone took a plate and started to grab a portion from the bowl to begin to enjoy the meal.

"You're right Professor Stein! This Paella tastes good; I hope we can try more meals like this in the future." Maka stated cheerfully after eating a few bites.

"The salad and fruit drinks that came with it taste great also! Maybe we should try to eat here again sometime." Tsubaki asked with a smile.

Stein only chuckled and nodded his head. "I was talking with Marie about some more places we can visit for the rest of the week. Would you two consider taking a day trip tour to Tarragona and some nearby sites on Thursday?"

"What's over there that we can see?" Maka questioned with interest.

"They have some historic monuments from the Romans and Medieval Ages. You can do a little bit of shopping in the town area and even go to the beach. It would only take about an hour for us to get to Tarragona from here in Barcelona." Stein explained.

"I like how that sounds. Going to different cities around Spain will let us really learn about Spain's history and more about Mediterranean culture." Tsubaki stated while Maka nodded her head next to her in agreement.

Stein grinned and took a sip from his drink. "There is a catch though."

Maka and Tsubaki's smiles started to slip as they gave Stein a look of wariness and confusion.

"What kind of catch?" Maka asked with a skeptical look.

Stein grinned even more and turned the screw in his head. "You can't be the only two going on the tour. To get any good discounts going to the sites, I have to prove that my tour group contains at least 4 group members besides myself and Marie."

"Are you serious; why would you pick a place where we would have to be with two more people?" Maka asked with an angry huff.

Stein shrugged, but continued to smirk. "It was Marie's idea. She had been looking up places online and tours of this area popped up. It will already cost money to buy lunches and use the bigger rental car while we're there, so we were just trying to save money using the group option even if we aren't all together at once going around the city."

Maka sighed and started to pick at the rest of her Paella in annoyance, while Tsubaki was calmly leaning her head against in her hand in thought over the situation.

"I think we'll be able to find two people by Thursday. Today is only Monday so we still have time." Tsubaki suddenly spoke up.

Maka turned towards Tsubaki and gave her a look that was a mix of shock and confusion. "What are you talking about? We don't know two people we can ask!"

Tsubaki smiled and only shook her head. "Yes we do. Trust me, I have an idea."

Maka frowned, but eventually nodded her head in agreement as the two turned back to Stein. Stein finished off the rest of his drink and stood up to brush himself off.

"It seems like you girls will be able to find two people in time then. We'll be leaving early at about 9 am on Thursday, so make sure to be up and ready by then. In the meantime, let's go check out some museums and entertainment along the street." Stein stated happily.

~X~

Maka yawned as she and Tsubaki entered back into her room and relaxed on the sofa. "Today has been a long day."

Tsubaki nodded her head as she gazed out the window and watched as a few ships went out into the sea against the evening sun.

"Tell me the idea you had in mind for finding two people to go with us on the trip." Maka stated, as she brushed a piece of her blonde hair out of her face.

Tsubaki sighed and turned to face Maka. "I think we should ask Soul and Black Star."

Maka gave her a blank stare and said nothing back as she contemplated it over. "I kind of figured you wanted to pick them, but I don't understand why."

Tsubaki shrugged and leaned her head against one of the white plush pillows on the coach. "Well admit it; they aren't that bad of people once you get past some of their annoying traits. I just feel like we keep running into them for a reason."

Maka rolled her eyes and scoffed. "The reason we keep seeing them is because they stay at the same hotel as us."

Tsubaki frowned and shook her head. "Come on Maka, I'm serious. I really don't think spending one day with them will be that bad."

Maka sighed and arched an eyebrow. "What's causing this sudden change of heart? I thought you thought they were irritating and jerks just like I did."

Tsubaki blushed slightly and looked down as she fiddled with a violet charm bracelet she had bought earlier from one of the stands on Las Ramblas Street.

"It's just that when I saw Black Star playing football with those little kids, it reminded me of Angela and how happy she used to be playing games like that in park with Mifune and I. I know I shouldn't compare Black Star to Mifune because they are two very different people, but seeing that made me curious to know if there really is more to him than meets the eye." Tsubaki mumbled quietly.

Maka smiled warmly and focused her jade green eyes up towards the ceiling. "I hate to admit it, but you do have a point. When Soul finished wrapping up my wounds the other night and told me I was attractive I just-"Maka cut herself with a sigh and shook her head as she felt her cheeks flushing again.

"What? You can tell me Maka, don't be nervous." Tsubaki stated, giving her a side glance.

Maka pouted and nodded her head. "It's just that, I don't get how one small compliment like that could make me blush so much. I don't get why he was suddenly being so nice to me when he was such a jerk beforehand." 'And even more, I don't get why it made me so giddy and happy afterwards…'

Tsubaki laughed lightly and shook her head. "Maybe you can ask him that tomorrow during breakfast."

Maka blinked in confusion as realization seemed to hit her. "Wait, you want me to be the one to ask him if they want to go on the trip with us on Thursday?! There's not even a guarantee we will even see them!"

Tsubaki smirked and nodded her head. "You can't be awkward around him for the rest of the summer. And we've seen glances of them pretty much every day since we've been here. Don't worry; I'll come with you when you go to ask them."

Maka sulked and sunk down further into the sofa. "That doesn't really make me feel better."

~X~

"Hey man, is it just me or does it look like Maka and Tsubaki are staring at us?" Black Star asked with a smirk, as he gazed at them from the corner of his eye.

Soul shrugged and gave a side glance also. "I think they are. It's possible that they could just be looking at something nearby us and not actually at us though."

Black Star scowled and shook his head. "Dude, why do you always think negatively like that? I'm pretty sure the both them finally realized how awesome we are and are checking us out!"

Soul grinned and snickered at that. "Whatever makes you feel better."

Soul went back to eating his toast when Black Star suddenly spoke up again. "They're coming over here, told you I was right!"

Soul looked up from his plate and saw indeed that Maka and Tsubaki were approaching their table. Soul sighed and wiped away some bread crumbs from his face as he looked towards two of them in curiosity.

'I wonder why they came up to us today. Usually it's either me or Black Star who initiates a conversation with them.' Soul thought to himself.

Soul watched as Maka shyly tapped her fingers together and was looking everywhere but at the table while Tsubaki was nudging her to speak up.

"What brings you ladies to our table on this fine morning?! You want to hang out with us?" Black Star asked loudly as he grinned at Tsubaki.

Maka sighed and nodded her head. "Actually we were wondering if you guys had any plans on Thursday."

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka and smirked. "You actually want to hang out with us? Have you become desperate?"

Maka frowned and immediately started to glare at Soul. "We aren't desperate for your information! We just wanted to be nice and see if you wanted to see some sites with us outside of Barcelona."

Soul grinned and started to laugh. "There's the Maka I'm used to. You acting all shy and nervous isn't in your nature."

Maka blinked in puzzlement before she realized Soul had been teasing her and blushed in embarrassment and anger.

"What place did you have in mind?" Black Star asked, wanting to be a part of the conversation.

"It's a day trip to Tarragona. They have a lot of unique ancient Roman sites we can check out. Professor Stein and his wife wanted to take us there on Thursday, but we need to at least have a group size of 4 in order to get the tour discounts that he wants." Tsubaki stated.

Black Star thought it over for a second before looking to Soul who only shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

"It sounds cool to us. What time did you want us all to meet up?" Soul asked.

"It will be pretty early in the morning; Stein told us 9 am. I hope that's not too big of a deal." Maka explained.

Soul frowned at the thought of having to get up early, but still getting out of the city sounded nice, especially if he wouldn't have to pay for taxi fare.

"Okay, we'll meet you on Thursday like at 8:50 am in the lobby." Soul said.

Maka's eyes lit up in excitement as she looked towards Tsubaki who looked equally just as relieved and happy.

"Thanks, I'm sure you'll have a good time also! Professor Stein can be a bit creepy sometimes, but his wife Marie will be with us also." Maka stated with a grin as she brushed her hand against Soul's.

Soul blushed lightly and looked away. "Yeah it's fine. Just make sure to leave your books in your hotel room."

Maka laughed and shook her head. "I can't promise you that. I want to at least bring my pocket Spanish to English dictionary."

Black Star and Tsubaki watched as Maka and Soul continued to taunt and bicker with each other unaware of their staring.

"I can see those two definitely hooking up in the near future." Black Star whispered to Tsubaki.

Tsubaki beamed and nodded her head. "Yeah, it's only a matter of time."

~X~

"It's good to see you two again! Sorry I've been so busy lately with school, but I love the summer dresses you guys picked out; they're so cute!" Marie stated happily as she gave both Tsubaki and Maka a hug.

Stein casted a glance at Soul and Black Star who were wearing long blue jeans and dark colored shirts. "You two aren't going to get hot in those clothes?"

Soul shrugged and shook his head. "It hasn't been that hot since we've been here and we packed water bottles if we really get tired out."

Stein nodded his head and pointed in the direction of the rental car. "Well, let's get going. I'm sure you guys want to get moving."

Marie grinned and nudged Maka and Tsubaki as they walked to the car. "So, who are these guys with you; some summer romances?"

"No, they're just some guys we've been talking to a bit at the hotel." Maka whispered.

"They're lying to you Marie; I think they met those guys even before they came to Spain and have some off and on relationship with them." Stein stated with a smirk as he cut into the conversation.

Maka huffed and pushed Stein away with a blush. "You're not needed in this discussion!"

The type of rental car Stein was using was a minivan that had 3 rows of two to accommodate all of them. Stein and Marie of course sat in the front two seats. Just as Tsubaki had went into the second row to take a seat, Black Star immediately pushed Soul and Maka aside to sit next to her.

"What's his problem?" Maka asked Soul in confusion.

Soul only sighed and shook his head. 'He obviously wants to try and get Maka and me together. He could at least try to do it in a less obvious manner though.'

"Everybody buckled in?" Stein asked; looking behind to make sure everyone was in safely.

Everyone nodded their heads and smiled in agreement and Stein grinned and turned back around to get started along the road. The hour long drive was spent with Maka brushing up on her Spanish, Tsubaki clearing out some photos on her phone, and Soul and Black Star moving in and out of sleep. Finally, Stein came to a stop and parked the car nearby the Tarragona Cathedral.

"Alright gang. How do you want to plan this excursion?" Stein asked, as they all got out of the car and stretched their legs and arms out.

"We should split into groups of two. 3 of us can go one way and the other can go the opposite way. We can meet back here by the Cathedral for lunch." Marie considered.

"I don't know about you guys, but I want to go check out that Roman Amphitheater that I read about. I want to compare how strong those warriors were to me!" Black Star shouted out as he walked off in that direction.

"Wait Black Star, at least get the map before you go walking off!" Tsubaki called and ran after him with Marie following.

Stein, Maka, and Soul watched them with a sigh before turning back towards each other. "Hmm, guess they are one group and we'll be the other group. What do you two want to check out first?" Stein asked.

Maka turned towards Soul and pointed towards the Cathedral. "Do you want to check out the Cathedral since we're right by it?"

Soul frowned and shook his head. "Not really, I don't feel like there's much to see in there."

Maka groaned and gave Soul an annoyed look. "Well then what do you suggest then?"

"I want to check out the Roman Aqueduct also known as El Pont del Diable (The Devil's Bridge). We can take pictures on top of it and learn a bit about its history while we're there." Soul stated.

Maka shrugged and looked towards Stein who nodded his head. "I've been there before. It is a nice site."

"Okay, well it sounds interesting enough. Let's go then." Maka stated, beginning to walk in the direction.

The walk to the bridge took about 20 minutes and Maka beamed in enthusiasm as they approached the bridge and walked up to a sign.

"What does this sign say Professor Stein?" Maka questioned.

Stein read it over before turning towards her. "It says, welcome to the historic Roman aqueduct and basically that the people who work to maintain this site work in commission with other sites in Europe to conserve their beauty."

Maka smiled and nodded her head while Soul walked under one of the archways. "Hey, one of you take a picture of me under here!"

Stein took Soul's phone and snapped the photo of him before poking at Maka. "You go take one with him. I know you want to take plenty of pictures while we're here."

Maka blushed slightly and nodded her head and went to stand next to Soul who gazed at her with a grin.

"Want to take one together?" He asked.

"Yeah I guess so." Maka stated, feeling a bit awkward. Soul only nodded his head and pulled her in by the waist causing her to blush even more.

"Alright, smile you guys! I need to take one using my phone and yours." Stein said with a grin as he snapped 3 photos.

Maka laughed and shoved Soul slightly. "You put bunny ears behind me in one of those photos!"

Soul smirked and shoved her back lightly. "Let's go walk to the top of the aqueduct now. We'll really get a good view from up there."

Maka nodded her head and grabbed her phone back from Stein and raced Soul up to the top. Maka sighed in awe as she took in the sea breeze and the view of the lush green mountains and the sea."

"This is certainly way out of the city limits isn't it?" Soul asked from beside her with a crooked grin.

Maka turned towards him and grinned. "Yeah, it's my turn to pick our destination next. I want to check out the archaeological museum."

Soul shrugged and nodded his head before going back to staring at the view.

Stein watched the two of them talk from below and smiled. "It seems like they're getting along pretty well with each other. I just hope Marie didn't get too lost, even with the map."

~X~

"Ustedes dos se ven como adolescentes. ¿Usted tiene una guía con usted?" (You two look like teenagers. Do you have a guide with you?) A man asked Tsubaki and Black Star.

Black Star and Tsubaki both gave each other a look of confusion.

"Do you have any idea what he's saying?" Black Star asked Tsubaki.

Tsubaki shook her head as she fiddled through her pocket dictionary. "He's speaking way too fast for me to look up every word he's saying."

"Well, we can always just ignore him." Black Star suggested, about to just walk over to the stands when the man started yelling at him again.

"Tienes que pagar para poder ir al anfiteatro!" (You need to pay before you can go to the amphitheater!)

"We only speak English! We don't understand a word you're telling us!" Black Star snapped back at him in frustration while Tsubaki tried to calm him down when luckily Marie caught up to them.

"We don't understand what this man is asking us. Can you please translate?" Tsubaki asked Marie kindly.

Marie nodded her head and walked up to the man to ask what he wanted before turning back towards them.

"He was just wondering what two teenagers were doing walking around here without a guide and bringing up the fact you need to pay before you can enter into the amphitheater. I guess he could tell you guys were tourists." Marie explained.

Black Star huffed and puffed out his chest. "Tell him that we can find our way around just fine even if we are still in our teens and just tourists!"

Marie stared at him blankly and shook her head before turning around to pay the entrance fee while Tsubaki looked around. "Well the amphitheater is just down below. Let's go check it out and take some photos!"

Black Star nodded his head excitedly and ran down below while Marie and Tsubaki followed close behind him.

"He certainly has a lot of energy." Marie mused aloud.

Tsubaki nodded her head and laughed as Black Star started walking around the site like an excited child. Tsubaki glanced over at a nearby posting and was glad that it was translated into multiple languages.

"So this site is thousands of years old and once held games that spectators would watch and bet on and was eventually even converted into a prison at one point." Tsubaki read aloud in interest.

Marie smiled and nodded her head and watched as Tsubaki snapped a few photos of the ruins and the stands before following Black Star down there.

Tsubaki grinned and sat down next to Black Star as he finished taking some selfies of himself sitting in the stands and under the archway.

"This site is so beautiful. You can even get a view of the beach right beside it." Tsubaki stated, as she admired the area.

Black Star put his phone back down and grinned. "Yup, this is definitely a beautiful place."

Tsubaki turned towards him and noticed he was only staring at her. "You're not even looking around right now. "

Black Star only continued to grin and waggled his eyebrows. "But what I'm staring at right now is a beautiful site!"

Tsubaki blushed and laughed lightly. "Well that was corny and lame."

Black Star smirked and shrugged his shoulders as he scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. "It still made you smile though."

Tsubaki sighed and felt her cheeks redden even more just as Marie approached them. "I just called Stein to see where he was. We should head back down the main path to meet back up at the Cathedral. We can have a picnic by the beach since it's about 12:30 right now."

Tsubaki and Black Star nodded their heads and stood up to follow Marie back out onto the sidewalk.

"Time went by so fast. We got here like at a little past 10 am and more than two hours have already gone by. Where are we going to buy food at by the way?" Tsubaki asked Marie.

Marie looked back down at the map and looked around. "Stein knows this place better than me. I assume we can just head into town and get some take-out from one of the restaurants."

~X~

"Are you guys enjoying all the sites?" Stein questioned to everybody as they headed into town as a group again.

"Yeah, I liked that shortcut we took around all those gothic buildings to get back here." Soul mentioned.

"You didn't like anything about the museum?" Maka asked him.

Soul shrugged. "It was okay. They did have a nice gallery of statues of famous Roman figures and paintings."

"You guys, I'm going to save money by buying a pizza. It would be really expensive to order six different meals and drinks unless you guys want to exchange your American dollar for Euro."

"Pizza is fine with me, but what toppings are you going to put on it?" Black Star asked.

"Is pepperoni fine? That's usually the one people enjoy the most." Marie questioned.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and waited outside the pizzeria for Stein to order before all heading towards one of the many beaches along Tarragona's coast and sitting under the shade of a tree.

"So, where did you guys go while we were at the amphitheater?" Black Star asked Soul and Maka as he munched on a slice of pizza.

"We went to the Roman Aqueduct, the archaeological museum, and did a little bit of sightseeing and shopping on the walk back to the cathedral." Maka replied back.

"That sounds nice; I'm sure you took pictures right?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka smiled and nodded her head and passed her phone to Tsubaki while Tsubaki did the same for Maka.

"Black Star, what the heck are you doing running around all over the place in these photos? The locals probably thought you were insane." Soul questioned, as he gazed through the album of pictures and Maka laughed next to him.

Black Star scoffed and wiped his face with a napkin. "I was just doing different poses to show how awesome I am. It's not like you two were doing anything interesting in these photos."

Maka huffed and grabbed her phone back and gave Tsubaki back hers. "Let's go walk off this food on the beach Tsubaki! We might be able to even find some seashells."

Tsubaki grinned and nodded her head as the two of them left Black Star and Soul under the shade.

Black Star watched them for a moment before turning towards Soul with a smirk. "You certainly got comfortable with Maka in some of those photos underneath the bridge though."

Soul blinked and let out a yawn. "So? You were doing the same thing with Tsubaki I bet. It's not like whatever is going on between us is going to last."

"Aha! So you finally admit you and Maka are up to something! And there you go being negative again; you could see Maka even after the summer ends." Black Star pointed out.

Soul rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't plan for any relationship I get into to last beyond the summer and I'm pretty sure Maka feels the same way."

Black Star only shook his head. "Stop thinking that way. Remember our bet: Maka could just be the one who really does like you as you are."

Soul sighed, but nodded his head. "We don't know anything about each other's lives back at home."

"The more you get to know each other, the more you'll be open to talking to each other about your personal lives." Black Star retorted back.

Soul laughed and gave Black Star an odd look. "Since when did you become so philosophical and wise?"

Black Star grinned and looked back over to Tsubaki. "I told you Man. I'm going to break my bad habits over the summer and that includes people thinking that I'm just a lazy idiot all the time."

Stein and Marie watched the group of teenagers with a grin. "Looks like lying about needing to go as a group worked out nicely, huh?" Stein noted.

Marie nodded her head and grinned as she gazed back towards the sea. "I'm pretty sure we can't use that excuse again though, but at least it seems like they all got closer to each other."

~X~

Soul sighed as he gazed back out the window of the minivan on the ride back to the hotel. 'There's nothing wrong with Maka in all honesty, but I don't know if she wants to take our relationship beyond friendship, especially if we're only going to see each other for the summer…' Soul mused to himself before he felt something heavy suddenly fall on his shoulder.

Soul frowned and looked down and saw that Maka had fallen asleep on him. Soul blinked and wondered for a moment if he should wake her up and possibly face getting chopped or just let her sleep on him for the remainder of the journey.

Soul poked her cheek lightly and watched as she stirred slightly before relaxing and nuzzling into his shoulder again.

"I guess I'm going to have to deal with a sore shoulder in the morning." Soul mumbled to himself as he leaned back in his seat and started getting sleepy also.

After 30 minutes had passed, Tsubaki turned around to check on Maka and Soul and grinned at the site she saw of the two of them sleeping on each other. Tsubaki quickly tapped Black Star on the shoulder and pointed behind them causing him to grin also and take out his phone.

"Oh Soul, you don't know what perfect blackmail you have just given me." Black Star whispered with a smirk as he snapped a photo.

"I'm taking one too." Tsubaki stated with a grin as she took two quick pictures.

"I like these new sides I'm seeing to you Tsubaki." Black Star stated with a smile that caused Tsubaki to chuckle and shake her head.

Once they were back at the hotel, Black Star and Tsubaki were the first ones out of the car laughing and giving each other not so secretive grins.

Soul and Maka gazed at them sleepily and in confusion. "What are they laughing about?" Maka asked Soul.

Soul looked from Black Star to Tsubaki and only sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea."

~x~

This Ends Chapter 9! Let me know what you think with a review and as always thanks for reading!


	10. Stuck With You

Chapter 10: Stuck With You

Maka sighed as the buzzing of her phone woke her up. After turning over lazily for a few minutes, Maka finally drowsily opened her eyes and glanced at her phone to see what message she had gotten.

Hi Maka, sorry I'm sending this message on such short notice again, but Black Star wanted to take me out to the Sonar Festival today. We should be back between 8 or 9 pm, so we can all meet up to eat dinner around then. In the meantime, go out and explore the city with Soul! ;)

-Tsubaki

'What? Tsubaki, you ditched me again for Black Star! Geez, I didn't think when we finally found some summer flings that meant we were just going to desert each other for them. And why is she assuming I'll go spend the day with Soul; I can spend time with other people besides him.' Maka thought to herself with a huff, as she finally go out of bed and got ready.

"I'm surprised they left so early though, I guess I should be used to it by now though since it has been happening for the past 2 weeks." Maka mumbled to herself, as she ate breakfast alone for a few minutes when she suddenly heard the sound of a plate and chair moving across from her.

Maka looked up and met Soul's crimson eyes with a small smile. Even though she didn't like how Tsubaki assumed she was spending time around Soul, it was exactly what she had been doing ever since she started doing daytrips with Black Star. Maka wasn't sure how to describe her relationship with Soul at the moment, but she knew her feelings for him were inevitably getting stronger the more they hung out together, even if their fling wasn't supposed to be serious.

Soul yawned and plopped down in the chair and sent Maka a smirk. "So, you got ditched again, huh?"

Maka scoffed and took a sip from her orange juice to avoid his knowing eyes. "The same thing happened to you."

Soul shrugged and brushed a hand through his snow white hair. "I don't care if Black Star ditches me, but I'm getting tired of just spending so much time in the hotel. Let's go out into the city today."

Maka blinked and set her glass down. "Professor Stein has work today though, so I can't call on him to take us around."

Soul grinned and shook his head. "We don't need him. I noticed some people borrowing motorcycles out front. We can use that."

Maka frowned and squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. "I've never been on a motorcycle though."

Soul sighed and made a fake pout with his lips. "You don't trust me Maka?"

"I didn't mean it that way! It's just there's still so much I don't know about you and well-"Maka sighed and trailed off when she realized she didn't really have any good excuses.

Soul reached out and lightly grasped her hand. "The only way to get to know me better is if we spend time together, don't you think so?"

Maka blushed lightly and nodded her head. "Okay, I hope you know where you're going." Maka grumbled out, as she threw her trash away and followed Soul over to the motorcycle rental.

"We'll be fine; at least we know that they drive on the same side of the road in Spain as they do in America." Soul stated, as he paid the rental fee.

Maka sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's a poor attempt to make me feel better."

Soul walked over to the motorcycles and got on one of them and pulled it out. "Come on Maka, time is wasting."

Maka gazed over the dark red motorcycle before looking back at Soul and nervously getting on.

"Wrap your arms around me so you won't fall off." Soul whispered to her, as he handed her a helmet and started to drive off into the busy streets. As Soul drove off, David and Victor watched them from the hotel's parking lot.

"We still haven't gotten our revenge on that pigtailed girl for what she did to us back at the club." David sneered out coldly.

Victor only smirked as he watched them go further and further out of view. "Don't worry, when they get back, we'll make sure she knows she picked the wrong guys to mess with."

~X~

"You can let go of me now, unless you want to keep hugging me." Soul stated with a smirk, as he turned the engine off and properly secured the motorcycle.

Maka blushed and quickly let go of him and looked around. The scent of the sea permeated the air as Maka gazed at the dark blue waters and watched some seagulls fly overhead.

"Where are we?" Maka questioned Soul.

Soul grinned and pointed towards a sign. "We're at Las Golondrinas; they have boat tours that will take us along the coast of Barcelona."

Maka's emerald green eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh, that sounds neat! How long will the tour be?"

"It depends on what option we pick. I want to go on the Harbor and Coast tour that's 90 minutes long since the price of that is included in Barcelona city pass card I bought." Soul described.

Maka nodded her head in agreement and approached one of the fleet members to get a pamphlet and a life jacket.

After the captain gave them proper boat safety protocol, they proceeded to dock from the port and out into the sea.

Soul glanced at a few fish swimming close to the boat before turning towards Maka. "So, what do you want to know about me?"

Maka blinked in confusion before rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we can start out small. What kind of hobbies do you have?"

Soul shrugged and gazed up into the sky. "I like to sleep and eat mostly, but I also enjoy playing video games."

Maka stared at him blankly and rubbed her eyes as she realized how difficult this might be. "Okay then. Um, well as you know I like to read, but I also like to do puzzles."

Soul snickered and grinned toothily. "Well, aren't you an exciting person?!"

Maka scoffed and turned away from him to gaze back out at the sea. "It's not like your hobbies are that interesting!"

Soul was about to speak up again when the tour guide interrupted him. "Hey you two; take a look to your right and you can see the Olympic Village towers and the Sports Stadium!"

Soul and Maka both looked over and grinned. Maka took out her phone and snapped a few photos as the tour guide continued to discuss the history of travel and exports using the port as a main hub.

"I love how great the weather is today!" Maka stated with a sigh, as a cool breeze hit them and the sun passed over them.

Soul nodded his head in agreement as he sat up more comfortably on the small seats. "It's even nicer that it's just us two on the boat."

Maka laughed and blushed at his joking. "Hey Soul, what's your last name?"

Soul arched an eyebrow in confusion as he turned towards Maka. "Why do you ask?"

Maka shrugged, but continued to smile. "I'm just curious. My last name is Albarn."

'I don't want to tell her my real last name just yet; she might be able to associate Evans with my parents and my brother.' Soul mused to himself before speaking up.

"My last name is Eater." Soul stated with a grin.

Maka rolled her eyes and chuckled again. "No it isn't."

"Yes it is. Don't make fun of my last name." Soul retorted back.

Maka stared at him skeptically before looking back down at her phone. "So, you're trying to tell me your full name is Soul Eater?"

Soul grinned and nodded his head with a yawn. "That's correct, but in all honesty, Eater is the nickname I went by in high school so I prefer it over my actual last name."

Maka sighed and nodded her head. "Sometimes I hate having the last name Albarn. People always associate it with my Papa. I should just change my last name to my mother's maiden name, but then that would probably take a long time for it to properly go into effect."

"What did you father do that was so bad?" Soul asked in interest.

Maka scowled at the thought and looked back towards Soul. "Constantly cheat. He would rather lead a single life than be married."

Soul said nothing back as he mulled over Maka's words. 'Hmm, I guess Maka's family life isn't perfect either. That's a bit of surprise.'

"Oh, thanks for the gelato. I always wanted to see if there really is a difference in taste between this and regular ice cream." Maka stated, interrupting Soul's thoughts as she accepted a small colorful bowl from one of the crew members.

Soul frowned and arched an eyebrow. "How come I didn't get any offers for gelato?"

Maka turned towards him and smirked. "You didn't ask for any! I asked if I could have a small snack before we even got on the boat."

Soul sighed and watched as Maka ate the gelato tauntingly beside him. "So, you're not planning to share any of that?"

Maka smiled and shook her head. "Nope! Go ask one of the crew members if you really want some."

Soul gazed intently at Maka and noticed a bit of the gelato drip down from her lips. After thinking it over for a bit, Soul reached out and pulled Maka in close enough to brush his lips against hers and lick away some of the drops before pulling back.

Maka's face immediately heated up in shock before she punched Soul in shoulder and scooted back to where she was sitting originally.

Soul frowned and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Ouch, what are you hitting me for? I just wanted to taste some of it also!"

Maka huffed and looked away as she tried to calm her racing heart and nerves. "That was for just kissing me out of the blue; I wasn't even ready for it!"

Soul smirked and grabbed Maka gently by the arm before she could move further away from him. "Oh, so if you were ready for it, then it would be okay for me to kiss you?"

Maka blushed as she realized what she said, but didn't back down from Soul's challenging red eyes.

"Yes, it would be fine then." Maka stated with a smirk back as Soul grinned and brought her closer to him again.

"I'm going to hold you to that statement." Soul whispered softly against her lips, as he gave her an even rougher kiss that Maka returned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

~X~

"Do you think it was okay to just leave behind Maka and Soul again?" Tsubaki asked Black Star, as they both walked through the crowded streets together.

Black Star shrugged, but nodded his head with a grin. "It's fine; I'm sure those two are enjoying each other's company. And if they continue to constantly taunt and bicker with each other, we can just threaten to send that photo we took of them sleeping on each other to all of our friends!"

Tsubaki laughed and shook her head. "If they knew about those photos, I'm sure they would try to secretly take our phones and delete them."

"No way Soul would be able to stop me; I made multiple copies of that photo for just in case scenarios like the one you described!" Black Star yelled out proudly.

Tsubaki grinned and looked around as she watched people crowd around and watch different musicians play on stage.

"How did you find out about this music festival?" Tsubaki asked Black Star once they were in a quieter area of the city center.

"The hotel offers city passes for different events happening throughout the months. I'm pretty sure Soul bought one also; you can use them as discounts or possibly get into some areas for free." Black Star explained.

Tsubaki nodded her head in understanding as the two of them listened to a few more electronic bands before heading over to some vendors.

Tsubaki gazed at some of the art exhibits in admiration as Black Star watched her with amusement.

"You want me to buy you something in one of these places?" He asked.

Tsubaki blinked and immediately started to shake her head. "You don't have to do that. If I see something I like, I can just buy it with my own money."

Black Star scoffed and shook his head before he suddenly noticed some carnival games on the side and grinned.

"I know; I'll go win you one of those carnival prizes, come on!" Black Star cheered out, as he grabbed Tsubaki by the arm and led them to the milk bottle pyramid.

The vendor watched as Black Star and Tsubaki approached his stand and smirked as he recognized them as tourists. 'Oh this is good; I have another opportunity to sucker some unsuspecting tourists out of their money.' The man thought wickedly to himself, before standing up to properly greet them.

"Hello, welcome to my bottle pyramid stands game. I'm sure you've heard or seen of this before, but I'll explain the rules just in case. To get one of the grand prizes, all you have to do is knock down all the bottles with a limit of 6 tries per customer." The man explained.

Tsubaki gazed up and smiled at one of the top prizes offered: A simple light pink teddy bear with a purple ribbon wrapped around its neck.

"Well this should be easy; I can probably knock them down with just one shot." Black Star stated confidently when Tsubaki suddenly stopped him from walking up by gently grabbing his hand.

"I don't know if you should waste money doing this. Aren't carnival games like this usually rigged?" Tsubaki whispered to him.

Black Star grinned and shrugged. "Maybe so, but knowing how strong I am, I'm sure I can do this!"

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head and stepped back and watched as Black Star paid and was handed a tennis ball.

Black Star frowned as he gripped the tennis ball tightly in his hand. 'Damn, this tennis ball feels light. Tsubaki might be right about this guy trying to trick us, but that's not going to stop me.' Black Star mused to himself, as he tossed the ball towards the pyramid and caused nothing to happen.

The vendor frowned and shook his head. "Ooh, you didn't hit it hard enough that time. Try again."

Black Star scowled at the man's teasing and tightened his grip on the next tennis ball and launched it again, still not causing any of the milk bottles to move.

"What the hell?" Black Star hissed out, as he tossed out the fourth and fifth balls and still caused the pyramid to remain motionless.

Tsubaki sighed and walked up to Black Star and calmed him down by patting him on the shoulders. "I told you that this game was probably rigged. It's not a big deal if we don't win anything."

Black Star growled and shook his head as he moved out of Tsubaki's grip. "Tsubaki, have you already forgotten what I said? God's don't give on things important to them!"

'Whenever he says that, a fire always lights up in his eyes that makes him look unstoppable. Can Black Star really do this though? I don't really care whether or not he wins…' Tsubaki thought to herself.

"Alright sir, this is your last shot. Make sure it counts." The vendor said with a smirk, as he handed Black Star his last tennis ball.

Black Star only nodded his head and stepped back slightly to properly aim. After squeezing the ball tightly enough, Black Star threw it so hard into the pyramid that it smashed all the milk bottles into pieces.

Tsubaki's eyes widened as she gazed over the broken bottles while Black Star grinned proudly next to her.

"I told you I would be able to break those bottles eventually! Now vendor, give me my prize before I smash your face in next!" Black Star snapped out.

The vendor immediately stopped his gaping and nervously backed away from Black Star.

"What prize would you like sir?" He asked quickly.

"What prize do you want Tsubaki?" Black Star questioned, turning towards her.

Tsubaki smiled and pointed to the teddy bear. The vendor nodded his head and handed her the teddy bear as the two proceeded to walk away.

"You really didn't have to do all that, but thank you though." Tsubaki stated with a laugh, as they both took a seat on the bench.

Black Star grinned and put his hands behind his neck. "I think this calls for a victory kiss to celebrate how great I am!"

Tsubaki blushed and said nothing back before smiling and nodded her head. Black Star smirked and closed his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her before he shortly realized that Tsubaki had placed the teddy bear between them.

Black Star frowned as he spat out the teddy bear's fur. "What did you do that for?!"

Tsubaki only grinned and shook her head. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Black Star sighed was about to look away, but Tsubaki scooted in closer and gave him light peck on lips.

"Thanks for taking me out here today. I really have enjoyed all the places we've been going to over the past few days." Tsubaki stated sincerely with a smile.

Black Star blushed slightly before gaining back his usual confident grin. "It's no problem. Hey, there are still some more stands we can check out. Let's go try the ring toss next before getting some lunch!"

Tsubaki was about to disagree, but Black Star had already stood up and ran over to the next stand without her.

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head with a chuckle. 'There's no stopping him once he sets his mind to something.'

~X~

"I think I'm getting used to being on a motorcycle now." Maka said with a grin, as they both stepped off the bike and stretched their arms out.

"So that means I can use it to take us around then, right?" Soul asked.

Maka shrugged and nodded her head with a smile as she took a quick glance at her watch. "I guess we're going to be having a late lunch today since it's almost 2 pm now."

Soul nodded his head and walked back up the bike rental to return the motorcycle keys and helmets.

"Which restaurant do you want to eat at?" Soul asked, as he walked over to where Maka was standing at waiting.

"I haven't tried Frank's yet. Do you want to eat there?" Maka suggested.

Soul shrugged and nodded his head. "Anywhere is fine by me. After this, I just want to chill and take a nap though."

Maka nodded her head in agreement and grabbed Soul's hand as the two of them walked comfortably down the hallway.

"They've finally come back." David stated to Victor with a smirk, as they watched the two of them leave the lobby together.

"So I see. It's about time." Victor grumbled out, before they both stood up from the sofas in the lobby and followed behind them quietly.

David and Victor watched as Soul and Maka took a seat at the restaurant by the window and waited patiently while a waiter came up to take their orders.

"Do you want to just share a plate of chicken wings and fries?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded her head with a smile and the waiter took their menus away and came back with two glasses of water to start them off.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom; I'll be right back." Soul grumbled out, as he got up from his seat and walked down the hall, but not before glancing towards the entrance and seeing David and Victor.

'Aren't those the same two guys that tried to drug Maka before back at the club? Are they still trying to bother her?' Soul thought to himself, as he decided to crouch down behind the wall and keep himself hidden.

"He got up; it's time to make our move." David whispered to Victor, as the two got up and approached Maka.

Maka had been gazing out the window absentmindedly when she noticed David and Victor and frowned.

"What are you two doing bothering me again? I thought you said you could find other girls to hang out with besides me?" Maka asked coldly.

Victor only smirked and shook his head. "You think you're so great don't you? You may have gotten the better of us beforehand, but that's not going to happen again."

Maka arched an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. "Oh really, I'm not going to fight you in the middle of a restaurant though."

David scoffed and pulled out a dagger from his pocket, causing Maka's eyes to widen in shock. "See if your fists will be able to handle a knife."

As David finished his statement, he stepped forward quickly and prepared to strike Maka in her stomach, when Soul suddenly blocked him and instead got stabbed.

"Soul! Why did you get in the way you idiot?!" Maka snapped out, panic stricken as she jumped out of her seat and watched in horror as blood started to seep onto Soul's gray's shirt.

"Get away from here before they attack you next." Soul grumbled out weakly, as he tried to cover up the wound with his hand.

Maka shook her head and turned back to David and Victor who were luckily being held back by security and some other guests who had heard and seen the commotion.

"This isn't over yet." David mouthed to her, as he and Victor were taken away from the area.

"Someone call for an ambulance quick!" Maka yelled out, as she used some napkins to try and cover Soul's wound as best as possible for the time being.

~X~

Maka sighed as she paced back and forth nervously in the waiting room of the hospital. 'This is my fault. If I had never punched that guy, he wouldn't have come after me again. Now Soul has been injured because of something I did.'

Maka huffed and tighten her fists in anger and was about to start pacing again when she saw Black Star and Tsubaki approach her and ran up to them.

"We came as soon as we got your text. What exactly happened?" Tsubaki mumbled out, as she gave Maka a soothing hug and tried to calm her down.

"It was those two guys who we met on the beach. David was about to stab me, but Soul got in the way." Maka stated tiredly and wiped a few tears away from her cheek.

Black Star growled cracked his knuckles. "Where are those bastards now? I'll show them what happens to people who mess with my friends!"

Maka sighed and shook her head. "I think the hotel security is handling the situation. And besides, getting into a fight with them is what caused this whole mess to happen in the first place."

"How long have you been waiting out here?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka shrugged and sat back down in one of the chairs. "About 2 hours now. It seems like the stab wound was pretty deep because he had to have surgery to help stop the bleeding."

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head and sat down in the chair next to her as silence fell over all 3 of them. Another agonizing hour passed before Stein stepped out of the doors of the emergency room and greeted them.

"How is he doing?" Maka asked timidly.

Stein smiled and nodded his head. "The surgery was successful, but he's going to need to stay here overnight for observing. It's possible there might have been some bacteria or germs on the knife that could make Soul sick."

Maka grimaced at thought of Soul getting sicker and pouted slightly. "Would it at least be okay for me to see him?"

Stein shrugged. "I'm sure that's fine with him. Just make sure to keep your voices down."

Maka nodded her head and went in through the doors to find Soul.

"I think we should let them be alone for a while." Tsubaki stated to Black Star with a smile.

Black Star frowned, but nodded his head in agreement. "It's a good thing at least that Stein was the on call doctor for today. I guess we can go grab a quick drink from the vending machine before we go barging in."

Maka let out a sigh a relief as she took a seat in chair next to Soul and took in his sleeping form.

"I'm sorry I caused this to happen to you Soul. It was me he was trying to stab, not you." Maka mumbled out, as she gently gripped his hand.

Soul opened his eyes sleepily and gazed towards Maka. "Maka? What are you doing here; how did I end up here?"

"I got harassed by those two jerks before David stabbed you. Luckily, you got taken to the hospital in time before the wound became serious." Maka explained.

Soul frowned and rubbed his forehead as the memories started coming back. "How long have you been waiting here for me to wake up?"

Maka glanced at her watch before looking back at Soul. "It's been a little over 3 hours now if you include the time you were in surgery and in recovery."

"You didn't need to wait around for me here for that long; you could have been spending time back at the hotel relaxing." Soul stated quietly. 'Why would she stay here for that long? We barely know each other that well and yet she still stuck around…'

Maka shook her head and fiddled with Soul's bed sheets. "I wouldn't have felt right if I just left you here after you protected me like that. I don't mind staying here with you."

Soul grinned and tried to sit up in bed a bit, but winced in pain as he moved. "Well, thanks for keeping me company. You being here with me will at least make it feel like time is going by faster."

Maka beamed and nodded her head as she scooted her chair closer to Soul. The two of them sat in peaceful silence until they heard a knocking on the door and Black Star came in with Tsubaki trying to tell him to quiet down behind him.

"Hey Soul, I hope you and Maka aren't doing anything indecent!" Black Star yelled out, but then frowned when he realized all they were doing was holding hands.

"Wow, you guys aren't even kissing or anything? How long is it going to take for one of you to make a move?" He asked with a yawn.

Maka huffed and threw a magazine at his head before crossing her arms. "It's none of your business!"

Black Star scowled and rubbed his head as Tsubaki smiled next to him. "How are you feeling right now Soul?"

Soul shrugged. "I feel alright, but hopefully with the medicine Stein prescribed, I'll feel better in the morning. "

Tsubaki nodded her head in understanding and sent Maka a secretive smirk that caused her to blush.

"I think we should plan another full daytrip all together again once Soul gets better." Maka suggested aloud.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "It's another opportunity for you to take more pictures together with Soul!" Black Star stated with a grin.

"Yeah, well it's another opportunity for you to impress Tsubaki also." Maka countered with a smirk.

Black Star surprisingly had nothing to say to that. "Well, you definitely got me there. I guess we can start looking up stuff once we get back to the hotel."

~x~

This ends Chapter 10! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	11. Things Left Unsaid

Chapter 11: Things Left Unsaid

Soul yawned as he lazily stroked a hand through Maka's blonde hair while she sat in his lap. It was getting close to midnight and the movie they were watching together as a group with Black Star and Tsubaki was about to come to an end. Ever since he had been discharged from the hospital, he and Maka had acknowledged they enjoyed spending time with each other, but didn't want their romance to become too much of a commitment.

Maka sighed and stretched her arms out as the movie started to begin rolling the credits.

"I'm getting sleepy; I'm going to turn in for the night." Maka murmured, standing up from Soul's lap and being careful to avoid brushing against his still healing wound.

Soul nodded his head and stood up also. "Yeah, I'm tired too. Goodnight."

Maka smiled and quickly kissed Soul goodbye before turning towards Tsubaki who seemed even drowsier than she was.

"Aw, I didn't realize it had already gotten so late; I still need to make a call." Tsubaki mumbled out dazedly, as she finally got up from leaning on Black Star and followed Maka out the door of Soul's room.

'I think it's about midafternoon back at home, it's possible I might be able to contact Angela if she isn't too busy with her studies at the moment.' Tsubaki thought to herself, as she reflected on what she still needed to do before going to bed.

Black Star frowned and stood up as he gazed around the now quiet room. "Well, that certainly didn't go as I expected it would."

Soul arched an eyebrow at him in confusion. "What do you mean? We spent the whole day together with them."

Black Star sighed and shook his head. "I thought they would be spending the night with us also! I mean it was fun in all going on that wine tasting tour today and checking out the scenery, but I don't feel like I got to spend enough time with Tsubaki!"

Soul shrugged and let out a scoff. "You're starting to get way too serious about your feelings for Tsubaki man."

Black Star growled and crossed his arms angrily. "Oh, and you aren't feeling anything for Maka at all?"

"Maka and I have already agreed we don't want our relationship to become too serious since we might not see each other after summer ends." Soul replied back easily.

"I certainly have a hard time believing that will work out with the way you two have been acting around each other lately." Black Star said with a smirk.

After brushing some popcorn off his pants, Black Star let out a sigh and gazed out Soul's window to enjoy the view of the city at night.

"It seems like people in this city never sleep sometimes." Black Star mused aloud quietly.

Soul stared at him oddly for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. "What's wrong with you?"

"I want to know who Tsubaki is calling?!" Black Star suddenly snapped out in frustration.

Soul frowned at the sudden change of topic and shrugged. "How the hell should I know? Why don't you just ask her?"

Black Star only shook his head. "It doesn't seem to be something she wants to talk about. Do you think maybe she has a boyfriend back at home she's been keeping from me?"

"I don't feel like Tsubaki is the type of person to go dating other people behind their backs." Soul reasoned calmly.

Black Star solemnly nodded his head. "It's been bugging me to know who she's been trying to call since we started dating though. She always wants to talk to him or her before going to bed, but I don't think she would cheat on me just for the fun of it either."

Soul only sighed and took the dirty popcorn bowl to the kitchen to wash it out. "Well, there's no reason to be worried then, right?"

Black Star scoffed and puffed up his chest. "Of course there's nothing to be worried about! No guy can compete with a God like me after all!"

Soul rolled his eyes and shook his head with a laugh. Black Star washed him dry out the bowl before another thought occurred to him.

"Hey, you haven't contacted anyone from home have you?" Black Star asked curiously.

Soul let out a snort and immediately shook his head. "You know I haven't. I'm glad to be away from them all for the most part, especially my parents."

Black Star only scratched his head thoughtfully. "Just leaving them a letter saying you would be gone for the summer probably made them assume you were never coming back."

Soul grinned at that. "Good, maybe if they think I'm never coming back, they won't bother me anymore about crap I don't care about."

~X~

Back in Death City:

"So, you still haven't heard anything from Soul since his graduation?" Wes's father asked him with a growl.

Wes sighed and rubbed his forehead in irritation before speaking back into his phone. "No Dad, I have the same information as you do. All I know is that he sent a letter to the house saying he would be on a trip for the summer."

"And you honestly have no idea where exactly he went?! He sent that letter nearly a month ago; you're not trying to cover up for him are you?" His father sneered out.

Wes tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk. "I really don't know where he is, but he obviously doesn't want to be found since he hasn't responded to any of our texts or calls."

"I don't care if he doesn't want to be found; he's missing out on important lessons he could have to help him get further ahead in fall semester! I know it may be difficult for you to do, but see if you can find any information about where he is and bring him back here, even if you have to use force." His father coldly snapped out before hanging up.

'How does he expect me to do that when Soul literally left no trace of where he is?' Wes thought with a scowl. Wes knew his parents had a bad habit of constantly trying to pressure Soul to do better, but now even he was beginning to see why Soul had such a strained relationship with them if this was how they truly behaved.

Wes twirled around his chair with a sigh before eventually getting up and leaving his apartment. He honestly didn't have much work to do since he was only temporarily in Death City for the summer to do some concertos before leaving again for New York in a few weeks.

'If I don't at least find some information on where Soul is; I'm going to be constantly bugged by both Mom and Dad about it for the rest of the time that I'm here.' Wes reasoned tiredly, as he walked over to Soul's apartment building in the afternoon heat.

Wes sighed and managed to put a smile on his face as he greeted the manager at the reception desk.

"Hello, how can I help you sir?" The man asked kindly.

Wes wiped a few stray beads of sweat from his face before speaking up. "I was just wondering if Soul Evans and his roommate Black Star had returned back from their trip yet."

"I'm not too sure, but I can check to see when they last paid their utility bill and other fees to maybe get an idea." He replied back, as he checked through some files on his computer before shaking his head.

"Nope, they haven't returned back yet. They still have any mail sent to them on hold and I haven't seen them around for a few weeks now." The man explained.

"Do you have any idea of where they might have gone on vacation to?" Wes continued on.

The man looked Wes up and down and narrowed his eyes. "Hmm, well even though you look like one of Soul's relatives, I wouldn't just give out private information like that about our tenants. Besides that, I honestly don't know where the two of them went off to. Black Star's car is even still parked in our lot and they paid their June and July rent ahead of time, which is unusual for them."

Wes frowned and nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, thanks for the info anyways."

The man nodded his head and went back to filing some papers as Wes left the building.

"Great, where am I supposed to look for information now?" Wes groaned out faintly under his breathe.

~X~

Maka let out a relieved sigh as she lounged by the hotel's pool under the shade of an umbrella when she was suddenly splashed with pool water by Soul.

Maka blinked in stunned silence before she started glowering at Soul in anger. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

Soul only grinned toothily before stepping out of the pool and tugging on her arm gently. "Stop wasting all your time reading and come join me in the pool!"

Maka pouted and briefly glanced down at her now soaked book before letting out a huff. "Seeing as you basically destroyed my book, I guess I don't really have a choice now do I?"

Soul nodded his head and pulled Maka into the water where he quickly started a water fight with her while Tsubaki and Black Star watched them play by the sides.

"Hey Tsubaki, watch me do a cannonball into the pool!" Black Star yelled out, as he stood up and jumped into the pool causing a huge splash.

Tsubaki smiled weakly and managed to give him a small cheer of praise that made Black Star frown and swim closer to her once he resurfaced from underwater.

"Is something bothering you Tsubaki?" Black Star asked in concern.

Tsubaki quickly shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I just feel a bit tired since I didn't get enough sleep last night." 'And I'm upset that I barely had a chance to speak to Angela again.'

Black Star's thoughts went back to his conversation with Soul last night about wondering who it was Tsubaki constantly felt a need to try to call every night or so.

"Was it that guy you were talking to last night that kept you up?" Black Star questioned in slight annoyance.

'What guy? The only person I've been trying to contact at night has been Angela, which has been basically impossible to do because international calls are so expensive and we're seven hours ahead. Black Star is only making assumptions.' Tsubaki thought with an arched eyebrow.

"What makes you think I've been trying to talk to another guy?" Tsubaki asked, trying to keep her own irritation out of her voice.

Black Star shrugged, but still remained suspicious. "I don't know; it just seems like every night lately you've been trying to contact someone and I can't help but wonder who."

Tsubaki sighed and looked away from him before her frustration began to show on her face. "Is it really that important for you to know who I'm talking to? It actually isn't any of your business if you think about it."

Black Star growled at that and stepped out of the pool and forced Tsubaki to face him by grabbing her cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean? At least tell me what's been going on with you lately!"

Tsubaki frowned and lightly pushed Black Star's hands away from her. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Now if you excuse me, I think I want to take a quick nap before getting lunch."

Maka and Soul watched as Tsubaki and Black Star started to argue a bit with each other before eventually, Tsubaki got up and walked away from the scene.

"What's going on between those two?" Maka whispered to Soul.

Soul shrugged and looked back towards Black Star who was angrily gripping his hands tightly against the borders of the pool.

"You should go make sure everything is okay with Tsubaki while I go check on Black Star." Soul suggested.

Maka nodded her head in agreement and stepped out of the pool to dry off and then quickly follow after Tsubaki.

Soul sighed and tapped Black Star on the shoulder to get his attention, but Black Star only shoved him away.

Soul scowled as his crimson red eyes darkened in annoyance before he quickly calmed down. "Dude, don't take your anger out on me! What exactly just happened back there?"

Black Star sighed and grumbled some curses under his breathe. "I was only asking her who she had been trying to talk to last night and she just blew me off saying it was none of business; I bet she really was talking to her boyfriend back at home!"

"You have no proof that she was. Maybe it was something personal she just didn't feel like talking to you about yet. You guys have only been dating for like 3 weeks now; she's not going to immediately tell you all of her business in such a short amount of time." Soul pointed out.

Black Star leaned his head back against the pool's edge, but eventually looked back towards Soul and nodded his head in understanding.

"Fuck man, I really screwed things up by pressuring her for questions like that, but it was bugging me so much I had to ask." Black Star grumbled out.

Soul shrugged. "I told you not to let your emotions get in the way."

Black Star narrowed his eyes at Soul and scoffed. "You can't honestly tell me you haven't wondered about any past boyfriends Maka has had or if she even is still in a relationship."

When Soul didn't reply back immediately, Black Star started to smirk. "Ha, can't come up with a lie can you? You're telling me not to get too emotionally invested in Tsubaki when you're doing the same exact thing with Maka whether you want to admit it or not."

Soul sighed and looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Whatever man, the point is, you shouldn't be trying to ask her about her personal life so early in your relationship. She'll let you know more about herself when she's ready to."

"We don't have much time with the way summer is going by. We only have a few days left in June after all." Black Star mused aloud.

~X~

"Tsubaki, what happened back there at the pool with you and Black Star?" Maka asked, once they were far enough away from the pool to be heard.

Tsubaki sighed and turned around to face Maka. "He kept bugging me about calling Angela; I just got tired of it, so I got up before I let my anger really get to me."

Maka frowned and arched an eyebrow. "Did Black Star know you were trying to call Angela though?"

Tsubaki shook her head. "No, I just didn't feel comfortable telling him about her yet because then it might lead to me having to mention Mifune."

"So that's why he was jumping to conclusions then and you were avoiding the question." Maka said with a sigh, as she gazed towards the beach.

"I can understand why he was getting suspicious though, I've been trying to call the agency every night, but I just can't reach them at a good time with the time zone differences and the fact that the calls have to be so short that I can barely say much to Angela before I have to hang up." Tsubaki explained.

"Try not to let this relationship get too serious Tsubaki; we might not see these guys after the summer ends after all." Maka stated.

Tsubaki sighed and gazed down glossy blue fingernails. "Oh Maka, you know that's easier said than done. It's hard to not get more and more feelings for him since we've been spending so much time together. I just hate how he assumed I was talking to another guy."

"The only way to clear things up would be for you to explain yourself to him." Maka suggested.

Tsubaki nodded her head and looked back up at Maka with a smile. "You haven't told Soul about Kid have you?"

Maka's eyes widened as she immediately shook her head. "No way, that would only complicate matters. Soul and I promised each other we wouldn't let our feelings get too strong."

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at her. "And how is that working out for you two?"

Maka blushed and twiddled her fingers idly. "Err not very well to be honest; I guess things are moving faster between us than I imagined it would."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Maka, I think we should head back now and clear things up with them though before we really move forward in our relationships." Tsubaki said, already heading back towards the pool area.

Maka quickly grabbed Tsubaki by the arm before she could walk any further. "Wait, does that mean you're going to tell Black Star about Angela and Mifune then?"

Tsubaki smiled and shook her head. "Not yet, it's going to take me awhile to be open about my life back at home. I'm sure you feel the same way about you and Soul."

Maka nodded her head and let out a sigh of relief. 'I'm glad Tsubaki isn't telling Black Star the full truth yet. Even though I really like Soul, I don't think telling him about my past romances is necessary at the moment.'

~X~

Wes frowned as he walked around Death City's Mall in search of anybody he could recognize as one of Soul's friends or even someone who might have attended South Valley High like he did.

'This is getting me nowhere; I'm basically just walking around in circles now. I'm pretty sure anyone Soul knew has already gone on vacation somewhere like he did for the summer or I just don't know them.' Wes thought with a sigh.

Wes was about to just turn around and leave the mall and try another spot he knew Soul liked to go to when he heard a familiar voice.

"Wes, is that you? What are you doing here?!" Blair squealed out excitedly as she rushed up to him and gave him a hug.

Wes frowned and pushed Blair off of him. "I don't have time to deal with you right now. I have things I need to take care of."

Blair pouted as her golden eyes seemed to shimmer with tears. "Oh, don't be that way Wes! Maybe I can help you get your stuff done faster."

Wes groaned and shook his head. "You've already caused enough problems for me and my brother in the past."

As Wes finished his sentence, he tried to walk away as fast as possible from Blair, but she quickly reached out and gripped him by the arm tightly.

"If this is about Soul, then there's no reason to be worried about him seeing us together. I'm not in a relationship with him anymore, remember?" She pouted out cutely.

Wes scoffed in aggravation and pulled his arm out of her grip. "That's because you cheated on him! Why would you hurt him like that by kissing me in front of him?!"

Blair cocked her head in confusion before smirking. "Well, why did you respond back to my kiss if you didn't enjoy it or want me?"

Wes blushed slightly and scowled. "That was a mistake and you know it. Now, please leave me alone."

Blair shook her head and followed Wes out the doors of the mall. "But I can help you though! Just tell me what's going on."

Wes gritted his teeth in annoyance as he realized Blair was going to continue to pester him until he spoke up.

"Fine, if it will get you to leave me alone faster; I need to get an idea of where Soul and Black Star went for the summer." Wes hissed out.

Blair blinked and tapped a finger against her cheek in thought. "Hmm, now that you mention it, I haven't seen those two around since graduation day."

"Oh, but don't worry! I know some people I can call to see if they know where they are." Blair stated excitedly, as she pulled out her cellphone and made a few calls.

Wes watched her wearily; unsure if it was good idea to even tell her in the first place that Soul had disappeared off somewhere.

"Alright, thanks anyways." Blair pouted out with a sigh as she returned her phone back to her pocket.

"You didn't find out anything?" Wes asked.

Blair huffed and nodded her head. "Guess it won't be as easy as I thought it would be. Have you tried going to their apartment?"

Wes nodded his head. "I just came back from there. The manager said he didn't know where they went."

Blair grinned and pushed a purple lock away from her face. "Oh did he? Maybe he'll change his mind on saying he didn't know anything when I talk to him."

Wes groaned and shook his head. "You don't need to do that."

"Come on, you know you need my help. I've got on the perfect attire to lure him in." Blair mused out cheerily.

Wes took a quick sweeping glance at Blair's outfit which was only a simple light gray tank top with some denim short shorts.

'I doubt this plan is going to work, but it's not like she will leave me alone unless I try her idea out.' Wes mused to himself.

"Alright, let's go and get this over with." Wes grumbled out while Blair happily followed behind him.

Once they were back at Soul's apartment, Blair went in and greeted the manager first with Wes coming in after her.

"Hello, how can I help you, mam?" The manager asked Blair.

Blair smirked and looked the manager up and down. "I need you to let me in to Soul Evan's and Black Star's apartment room.

The manager arched an eyebrow at her. "And why exactly would I do that?"

Blair grinned and leaned in even more, allowing the manager to get a good view at her breasts as she whispered something in his ear that caused his face to heat up and for him to grin.

The manager quickly glanced around the lobby to make sure nobody important was watching him before sighing and handing her the master key that could open all doors in the apartment.

"You better keep your end of the deal and return that key as soon as you come back down here." He whispered to her, as he handed her the key before returning back to work.

"What did you tell that guy?" Wes asked in confusion.

Blair only smiled mischievously and shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about. I have the key, so let's head up to their room now."

Wes frowned and nodded his head as the two went up to Soul's room and opened the door. Wes was slightly surprised to see the apartment looked relatively clean. All of the dishes in the sink had been cleaned and there were no dirty clothes or trash just lying around.

"It seems like they've been gone for a while; this place is kind of dirty." Blair mused out, as she wiped a finger against the kitchen counter before going to open the window to let in some light.

"Don't worry about the dust, I need to find some clue as the where Soul is right now." Wes stated, as he walked over to Soul's room.

Wes looked around and took notice of Soul's bare closet and semi half-made bed. 'There has to be something in here that can give me some answers.'

"Why not check his computer? I'm sure you'll find something on there." Blair asked from behind him.

Wes nodded his head and sat down at Soul's desk and booted up his computer. After waiting a few seconds, the username screen popped up to type in the password.

"Shoot, I have no idea what his password would be. Maybe he wrote it down somewhere." Wes thought to himself, before pausing in his search. 'Do I really want to stoop this low into my own brother's personal life?'

Unfortunately, before Wes could announce he changed his mind in his search for Soul, Blair had walked up to the computer and typed something in.

"What are you doing?" Wes asked.

Blair blinked and pointed back to the computer. "I'm typing in the password silly. I'm pretty sure Soul hasn't changed it yet from the brief time that we dated. He never particularly made hard passwords either, its Eater2014 still apparently."

"Why would he tell you his password?" Wes asked aloud in confusion.

Blair grinned and shook her head. "Oh, he didn't. I found it one day while going through his notebooks and stuff at school."

Wes frowned and glared at Blair who only ignored it and started to look at the history tabs left on Soul's internet browsers.

"Hmm, he's been looking up a lot of places in Spain. He even went to this travel website and might have booked with them." Blair stated in interest.

Wes glanced over at the computer and focused on the particular page she was on. It contained a list of the best attractions to go to in Barcelona and hotels in the area with the Hotel Arts Barcelona highlighted as the page he clicked on."

"Oh, he went to Spain and never told anyone! He could have asked me to be his travel buddy instead of Black Star." Blair huffed out.

'How the heck did Soul afford going to Spain? Though I guess he probably used his credit cards and took advantage of the deals available with different packages.' Wes thought to himself.

"So what are you going to do now Wes? It's not like you can reach Soul now." Blair asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Wes could only nod his head. "I could just keep my mouth shut and not let our parents know he went off to a different country, but then they'll just continue to pester me about it for the rest of the summer. If he can go off on vacation for the summer, then I can also; maybe I'll even pay him a surprise visit."

Blair's eyes widened in excitement as she gleefully clapped her hands together. "You're going to go to Barcelona?! Take me with you!"

Wes frowned and shook his head. "That's a horrible idea. Soul doesn't want to see you."

Blair scoffed and narrowed her eyes in anger. "He doesn't want to see you either. Besides, you owe me for getting you this far! You still wouldn't even know where he is if it weren't for me."

Wes sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not even going to Barcelona for a long time. Today is June 26th and I would plan to be back by at least around July 4th. The only real reason I want to go is too see if I can clear the air with him before I have to leave again, and that won't happen if you come with me."

Blair pouted and shook her head. "I promise I won't get in your way! I'll even split the costs with you on the flight and hotel fare."

Wes scoffed as he briefly glanced back at the computer screen before turning back to Blair. "We're going to need to at least stay at a different hotel from them."

Blair smiled her usual Cheshire grin and nodded her head. "That's fine by me."

~x~

This ends Chapter 11! Let me know what you think with a review, and as always, thanks for reading!


	12. Unexpected Trouble

Chapter 12: Unexpected Trouble

Soul and Black Star were sitting by the edge of the pool when Maka and Tsubaki approached them again.

"Sorry I just ran off like that earlier." Tsubaki apologized to Black Star with a sigh.

Black Star only shook his head and stood up to wrap an arm around her. "It's okay; I was pressuring you and making you uncomfortable."

Tsubaki smiled a bit and nodded her head. "Still, I think it would be nice if we cleared the air between us, so would you like to just take a quick walk around the garden?"

Black Star grinned and nodded his head. "That's fine with me; we'll catch you two later." Black Star said to Soul and Maka, before grabbing his towel and leaving the area with her.

Soul watched them leave before turning his attention back towards Maka who was gently swishing her feet back and forth in the pool water.

"Do you want to get out of here also?" Soul asked Maka.

Maka turned towards him and huffed. "Yeah, I guess so. They probably won't be back for a while anyways."

Soul nodded his head in agreement and grabbed Maka's hand and led her back towards his room. Maka smiled and relaxed on his sofa while he grabbed them some water.

"You know, I think it would have been better if I at least took a shower before coming back here. I don't want to make your sofa all wet." Maka said with a laugh.

Soul shrugged and grinned back toothily. "You've dried off pretty much from walking back here with me."

Maka sighed and nodded her head and accepted the water Soul handed to her. 'We're alone again. I know Tsubaki said she didn't plan to bring up Angela or the past, but it seems like that topic is the only thing we haven't brought up to the guys yet.'

"So Maka-"Soul asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Maka turned towards him and realized how close they were sitting to each other with Soul's dark red eyes gazing at her intently.

"What is it? It looks like something is bothering you." Maka questioned gently.

Soul opened his mouth to speak, but closed it when he realized how difficult it was to discuss what he wanted to talk about it.

"This isn't working out, is it?" Soul finally grumbled out.

Maka quickly focused her jade green eyes back on him. "What do you mean?"

Soul sighed and leaned back into the couch. "I'm talking about the agreement that we made with each other."

Maka blinked in confusion before blushing slightly as she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, that. Yeah, I guess we haven't exactly done a good job of not letting our relationship get stronger."

Soul smirked and lightly brushed a finger against Maka's cheek. "Maka, I don't want to pretend any more that the time we spend together doesn't make me want you even more and I know you feel the same."

Maka blushed even more and nodded her head as Soul grinned and leaned in to brush his lips against hers.

Maka sighed in content and drifted closer to Soul, allowing the kiss to go deeper.

"You don't care that we might not see each other after the summer is over?" Maka managed to get out in a pant, when they eventually broke away from each other.

Soul frowned and gently leaned his head against Maka's. "Of course I care about that, but don't you feel better living in the now than worrying about the future?"

Maka's eyes softened as she nodded her head slowly. 'There's still so much I don't know about you Soul and that you don't know about me though. Aren't we just dancing around that topic now?'

~X~

"So, it's a family member you've been trying to contact this whole time?" Black Star questioned Tsubaki.

Tsubaki nodded her head as the two sat down at a bench in the middle of the hotel's garden. "Well, she's not exactly a family member since we aren't related by blood, but I used to babysit her a lot and I try to check up on her every weekend."

Black Star nodded his head in understanding. "Why didn't you want to tell me that earlier?"

Tsubaki scratched her cheek uncomfortably as she glanced at a few bugs and butterflies fly by before speaking up again. "It's kind of complicated."

Black Star rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over the situation before he started grinning again.

"Do you think maybe she would have a problem with our relationship? Is that why you were wary about talking about her?"

'I never really considered that, but he actually has a point. I'm not sure Angela would be comfortable with me dating anyone besides Mifune.' Tsubaki thought to herself.

"She might not like you to be honest, but I don't know. She has a difficult time getting used to new people." Tsubaki mused quietly.

Black Star only smirked and plucked a light pink rose from a nearby bush and handed it to Tsubaki. "Nonsense, everyone loves me! After all, it even took you a while to get used to me, but you eventually fell for my charms!"

Tsubaki blushed and giggled slightly as she accepted the rose and put it in her hair. "True, you did grow on me, but she's still a little girl."

Black Star shrugged and placed his arms behind his head. "She can't be that bad. I want to meet her when we get back home."

Tsubaki sighed, knowing Black Star was probably not going to take no for an answer anyways and nodded her head.

Black Star stood up from the bench and pointed back towards the hotel. "Let's go check on the lovebirds. It's almost noon now and I'm starving!"

Tsubaki grinned and stood up also as the pair headed back to the hotel. Black Star guiding them back to Soul's room and banged on the door, but received no answer.

"Maybe they went to lunch without us?" Tsubaki questioned aloud.

Black Star scowled and shook his head. "I doubt they would have and if they did, they should have at least called or texted us beforehand."

After waiting a few minutes with Black Star banging on the door again, the door clicked open and Soul gazed at the two of them with a look of annoyance.

"Stop banging on my door! What's so damn important that you couldn't have sent me a text or something?" Soul grumbled.

Black Star took in Soul's disheveled appearance and smirked. "Oh my bad man, didn't know you were getting it on with Maka or something!"

Tsubaki blushed and lightly punched Black Star in the shoulder as he started laughing while Soul only rolled his eyes.

"I was just sleeping idiot; don't jump to conclusions." Soul grumbled with a yawn.

"You must have been pretty tired then since you didn't even change out of your swimwear, where's Maka at then; is she back in her room?" Black Star asked after he calmed down.

Soul sighed and looked away blushing slightly. "She's in here with me."

Black Star was about to yell that he knew it, but Tsubaki quickly covered his mouth. "We just wanted to eat lunch now. So can you two go get ready?"

Soul nodded his head and walked back into his room while Tsubaki uncovered Black Star's mouth. "We need to go change clothes and probably take a shower also."

Black Star turned towards Tsubaki and grinned wickedly. "Want to take a shower together? It would save time…"

Tsubaki flushed and shook her head. "I'll have to pass on that for now, but maybe next time!"

Black Star blushed slightly at the wink Tsubaki sent him at the prospect of a next time, but nodded his head in approval.

"See you in a few minutes then." Black Star called out, as he walked down the hall to his room while Tsubaki headed back towards the elevators.

Once everyone had cleaned themselves up, they met back up again as usual in the lobby.

"You two certainly bought and packed a lot of summer dresses." Black Star noted, as he took in Tsubaki's royal blue dress and gave a side glance towards Maka's lavender one.

Maka shrugged as she gazed at Soul's and Black Star's outfits. "How come you guys never wear shorts? All I've seen you two wear is like plain colored shirts and long jeans."

"Wearing shorts isn't cool unless we're going swimming." Soul reasoned simply, grinning when Maka scoffed at his answer.

"Anyways guys, let's go get something to eat instead of just standing here!" Black Star hollered out, as he walked over to Marina's and sat at a booth.

"What should we do for the rest of the afternoon?" Maka asked aloud, once they had all ordered off the menu.

Tsubaki had been gazing at the view of the sea and pool before turning back to the table. "I think Ciutadella Park is nearby; I heard it's a great place for couples to hang out at."

"Oh, I heard about that place too, they have a zoological museum nearby and this huge fountain by the lake. I think you can rent boats to paddle around on the lake also." Maka described with interest.

"How are we going to get there?" Black Star asked, after gulping some soda down.

Maka shrugged and glanced towards Soul who was sitting next to her. Soul met her glance and smirked.

"We're probably going to rent a motorcycle again." Soul mused.

"Hmm, well I'm not going to risk driving a vehicle that even I can admit I'm not good at. So I guess Tsubaki and I will take a taxi and meet you there depending on whoever gets there first." Black Star said.

Everyone nodded their heads and sat in comfortable silence until their meals arrived.

~X~

"Wes, I'm bored; play with me! Blair purred out, as she nudged him on the shoulder in an attempt to get his attention.

Wes sighed and looked up from his magazine to glare at Blair. "Blair, we're only about 3 hours into the flight! Watch one of the movies on the monitor in front of you if you're so bored."

Blair pouted and shook her head. "I've already watched 2 movies in a row! I want to know what you're doing now."

Wes frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just trying to read and listen to some music, nothing special."

Blair huffed and adjusted the strap on her dark blue camisole as she sat back down properly in her seat. "Hey, what are you going to do once we land?!"

"Probably go to bed because after going through baggage claim, customs, and taking the taxi to the hotel, it will be at least around 10 pm at night." Wes replied back.

Blair watched as Wes lifted up his magazine to start reading it again, but Blair snatched it away from him with a sigh.

"Don't be so boring Wes, you should at least call Soul before going to bed." Blair reasoned.

Wes shook his head. "I'll wait until maybe tomorrow to call him. He'll already be pissed that I came here, I rather as well wait until it's at least a new day in Barcelona to call him."

Blair shrugged and nodded her head as she stood up from her seat to stretch. "I wonder what he's doing right now. Do you think maybe he misses me?"

Wes internally groaned, but forced himself to be polite for the sake of not losing his temper and causing a scene to the other passengers around them.

"Blair, I know you're not stupid, so stop acting this way. You know Soul could care less what you're doing; don't get involved in his life."

Blair scowled and shook her head. "What's wrong with me at least saying Hi to him? It's not like I want to get back together with him. 'Still though, I am wondering if he moved on to someone else…'

"Like I told you before, he doesn't want to see you. You've already caused him enough pain." Wes explained seriously, before grabbing his magazine back and ignoring Blair's fake tears.

'He's acting as if I'm the only one who upset him; he caused him pain also.' Blair thought grouchily.

After realizing her acting was having no effect on Wes, Blair sighed and looked around for someone to give her some attention and grinned when she noticed one of the male flight attendants was checking her out.

"This plane isn't that full surprisingly, do you think I can use my charms to try and get us into first class?" Blair asked in amusement, as she sent the man a smirk.

Wes yawned and leaned back in his seat. "I doubt it, but if it will keep you busy, try whatever you like."

Blair grinned giddily and stood up from her seat to approach the man. 'Finally, at least I'll get some action from somebody before we land. I just hope it will be this easy to attract men like this once we land also.'

X~

"Well that museum wasn't what I expected it would be." Maka said as she shuddered slightly.

"The pamphlet did say that there wouldn't be live animals in there, but seeing that whale skeleton was interesting. And we could have gone to the main zoo feature that had actual animals if you wanted to." Soul mused.

Maka sighed and shook her head as she looked around. "The main zoo feature only had attractions for little kids. Anyways, did Black Star and Tsubaki go and ditch us again?"

Soul nodded his head. "At least Black Star told me where they were going to before they walked off. Tsubaki wanted to check out the large ornamental fountain."

Maka's eyes lit up as she grabbed Soul by the arm gently. "Oh, we should go check it out also! That will make for some great pictures."

Maka was admiring the lush green gardens and historical statues as Soul watched her with a grin when Black Star came up to them.

"Are you guys going to go check out the lake now?" Black Star asked.

Soul turned to Maka who only shrugged. "I guess so; that's the only area of the park that we haven't really gone to yet."

After renting a boat, Soul helped Maka onto to it while Black Star called out to them from the side. "We're going to go in the opposite direction and meet you back here at the rental site."

"How long does it take to go around here?" Maka yelled back.

"The tour guide said maybe about an hour and a half depending on how fast you paddle." Black Star mentioned, pointing towards the boat rental's sign of rules.

"Okay, see you in a bit then." Maka replied back.

Maka sighed as she watched Soul paddle for a bit with a smile as she watched a few ducks land in the emerald green waters and waved to a few other guests visiting the area.

"Do you want me to take over for you?" Maka questioned, after about 30 minutes had passed.

Soul arched an eyebrow at her and shook his head. "What, do you think I'm so weak I can't even paddle a boat? It's not like we're traveling through the rapids."

Maka rolled her eyes and huffed. "I was just trying to be polite geez. I didn't want you to feel like you were obligated to do all the work."

"I'm okay Maka, continue taking in the scenery and enjoying yourself." Soul mused.

Maka placed her head in her palm and gazed at Soul with a smirk. "I want you to enjoy yourself also you know."

Soul sighed and said nothing back as he gazed around quietly.

"Soul, do you ever want to know more things about me?" Maka suddenly asked softly.

Soul shrugged, but nodded his head. "Yeah, but I'm not sure if you want to talk to me about it."

"That would depend on what you wanted to ask me about." Maka mused, as gazed down at her tan sandals and smoothed them out a bit.

'I wonder if she would get mad if I asked about any of her past boyfriends. When Black Star asked Tsubaki about the topic, it only caused trouble, but then at least he got his curiosity out of the way.' Soul thought to himself.

"Have you dated any other guys before you met me?" Soul finally asked.

Maka froze for a minute as thoughts of Kid started to fill her thoughts. 'Why would he ask me about that; is he trying to make things awkward between us? I even told Tsubaki I wasn't going to mention Kid…'

Maka sighed as she leaned back into the boat. "I thought we weren't going to ask each other personal questions like that."

Soul frowned and looked away. "Yeah I know, but if we really aren't going to keep to our agreement of not trying to get serious about each other, then I figured it was okay to get to know more about you than just your hobbies."

"This wouldn't be because Black Star asked Tsubaki about her love life, would it?" Maka asked when she finally gazed back up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Well I'm not going to lie, his questioning of her did make me more curious about your past, but I had been thinking about it even before he brought it up to her." Soul mentioned.

Maka squirmed uncomfortably at the thought of discussing memories she wished to keep buried, but maybe talking about it would help lessen the small feelings she still had for him.

"My last boyfriend's name was Kid. He is a friendly and smart guy and we have a lot in common. We dated for a little over 3 years before we started to drift apart and broke up." Maka mused quietly.

Soul frowned as he watched Maka's eyes soften as she started to remember Kid. 'Maybe I shouldn't have brought up the topic in the first place. Now all I've done is remind her about her ex who sounds so perfect for her…'

Soul scoffed and started to paddle a bit faster to distract his mind. "Sounds like you still like this guy."

Maka blushed slightly and smirked at the hint of anger in Soul's tone. "No I don't, you sound jealous."

Soul snorted and shook his head. "Cool guys do not get jealous. It's just that you haven't mentioned anything bad about this guy."

Maka blinked and tried to think of a situation with Kid that had made her angry or upset.

"Hmm, well there was this one time when we planned this date at the park and he wanted me to be there at 8 pm sharp. Unfortunately, I was running late because I wanted to surprise him by changing up my look a bit by taking my hair out of my pigtails and curling my hair out." Maka described.

"Okay, nothing sounds bad about that." Soul said in boredom.

"I'm not finished yet! Anyways, I arrived at the park at about 8:10 pm and he told me he didn't like what I did to my hair because I looked unsymmetrical and he said I shouldn't have wasted time changing it up. Ah, that made me so mad that I told him he wasn't symmetrical and he freaked out ruining the whole date. I guess I should have realized with his OCD that changing my hairstyle could cause a problem without telling him beforehand I planned to do it." Maka mused, as she finished the story.

"So, he has an OCD over symmetry or something?" Soul asked in confusion.

Maka smiled wistfully and nodded her head. "It wasn't his OCD that broke us up though, it was the fact that our lives got so busy and he started to fall in love with another." 'Picking a girl who is prettier, bustier, and much more feminine that me of course.' Maka added as an afterthought with a sigh.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you relive painful memories." Soul stated quietly. 'I know I wouldn't like it if Black Star constantly reminded me of Blair's cheating.'

Maka shook her head and sat up more properly in the boat. "It's okay; I'm sure a guy like you though has been with plenty of girls that dating has never been an issue for you.

'You'd be surprised Maka.' Soul thought tiredly before speaking up."Actually, I've only had one past girlfriend who cheated on me." Soul muttered bitterly.

"Ouch, she doesn't know what she's missing though, even if you do have an annoying habit of being a jerk sometimes." Maka murmured with a blush.

Soul grinned crookedly and nodded his head as he slowed down the pace of his rowing again.

'Well I went and screwed things up by bringing up Kid; I'm not supposed to be getting so attached to Soul and our relationship. It's so weird to me that I'm attracted to Soul when his personality is nothing like Kid's either.' Maka pondered.

Maka eventually sighed and shook her thoughts away as she reached out to grab the other paddle away from Soul.

Soul frowned at her behavior as the boat started to rock from her sudden movement. "What are you doing? I already told you this isn't hard for me to do."

Maka shrugged and kept the other paddle close as she sat next to Soul and leaned against him slightly. "Is there something wrong with me getting close to you and helping you out?"

Soul stared at her blankly for a second before smirking. "No, I guess not."

The rest of the boat ride was relatively peaceful until they heard Black Star yelling at them from across the lake.

"Hey, what's taking you two so long to come back to shore; we're ready to go now! Do you two not know how paddle and need my help?!"

Maka sighed and shook her head while Tsubaki was only gazing at them curiously with her usual smile.

"He certainly knows how to ruin the moment, doesn't he?" Maka asked with huff.

Soul only nodded his head. "You should be used to it by now though."

~X~

"Passengers, we will be landing in Barcelona in about another 20 minutes. Please make sure your seatbelts are fastened are your seats are in their upright position." The pilot announced over the intercom before clicking on the seatbelt symbol.

"Oh, it's about time! I feel like we've been on this flight forever!" Blair cheered out happily next to Wes.

Wes sighed and nodded his head. 'It's a risk coming here though. I really do hope that coming here doesn't cause Soul to hate me even more. We're only going to be here for a week, so hopefully nothing too bad happens.'

Once the plane finally landed, Wes and Blair made their way over to baggage claim and retrieved their belongings.

Wes arched an eyebrow at the 3 large pieces of luggage that Blair had picked up. "Blair, you do know we're only going to be here for a week right?"

Blair grinned and nodded her head. "Of course I do, but I'm going to do some shopping and buy some souvenirs for my friends while we're here at least."

Wes sighed and nodded his head. "Let's head to the hotel now. It's already close to 10 pm now."

Blair nodded her head in agreement as the two of them headed over to a taxi and gave the driver directions to the Grand Hotel Central Barcelona.

"Even at night, this city is so beautiful." Blair stated happily, as they drove past some Spanish architecture lit up by nearby post lights.

Wes yawned sleepily and nodded his head and was relieved when they finally reached the hotel and were able to check in.

Wes turned around to face Blair after he properly finished checking them in. "Here Blair, this is your room key. You're on the 5th floor while I'm on the 6th."

Blair nodded her head and accepted the room key with a grin. "Are you sure you don't want to get any food before you go to bed? The last time we ate was on the plane after all."

Wes only shook his head. "They have a complimentary fruit basket in our rooms that will sustain me for now and I'm more sleepy than hungry anyways."

Blair pouted and let Wes go, but noticed something slipped out of his pocket as he walked off. Blair arched an eyebrow at the small slip of paper and was about to call after him, but noticed there was phone number written on it.

Hotel Arts Barcelona Contact No. +34 93 2211000

'This must be the hotel that Soul is staying at! I know Wes said he didn't want to call Soul until tomorrow, but he never said anything about me calling him…' Blair mused with a smug smile.

Blair walked over to her room and thanked the bellboy for helping set her stuff down as she gazed at the city view for a bit before glancing back down at the number.

"I wonder if I'll even be able to reach him. I guess it's still worth a try though." Blair mumbled, as she grabbed the phone nearby the bed and dialed in the number.

After waiting for a few rings, a man with a thick Spanish accent picked up the phone. "Hello, Hotel Arts Barcelona, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I was wondering if it would be possible for you to connect me to Soul Evan's room." Blair asked sweetly.

The man paused for a moment before speaking up. "Please wait just a moment mam."

"Alright, that's fine." Blair replied back. 'Wow is it really going to be this easy for me to reach him? I wonder what I should say to him first...'

Soul frowned as he noticed his room phone start to ring next to him and Maka.

Maka sat up a bit from her position of lying on Soul's bed and arched an eyebrow. "Who would be calling you at this late hour? Is Black Star trying to play some prank on you?"

Soul shrugged and picked up the phone. "Maybe, but I think someone just called my room by mistake."

"Hello?" Soul asked, speaking into the receiver.

"Hey Soul, it wasn't very nice of you to go running off to Spain and not tell anyone." Blair purred out.

Soul's eyes widened in shock as he realized who was on the other line. "Blair is that you? How the hell did you get this number?!"

"I came here to Spain with your brother! We just landed about an hour ago actually; I just wanted to see if I could actually reach you and I guess I can!" Blair continued on with a grin.

Soul growled as his grip on the phone tightened. "Why the hell did you guys come here? You two have no business being here!"

Blair pouted before speaking up again. "Well, you're parents were wondering where you were and we did some snooping to find you. Anyways, I guess we'll stop by in person tomorrow to actually see you."

"I don't want to see either of you!" Soul snapped out, causing Maka to look at him in alarm.

Blair scoffed into the phone. "Too bad, anything you've been trying to keep a secret or hide from your family won't be hidden for much longer." Blair finished as she finally hung up.

Soul scowled and slammed the phone as he noticed Maka gazing at him with a worried look.

"What's wrong; who was that on the other end?" Maka asked.

Soul frowned and shook his head. "The last person I wanted to hear from. My brother and my ex somehow tracked me down."

Maka looked just as shocked as Soul was a few minutes ago. "So, what does that mean now?"

Soul rubbed his forehead before eventually reaching out and lightly gripping Maka's hand. "That trouble is heading our way and I don't know for how long."

~x~

That's it for Chapter 12, let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	13. Envy's Burn

Chapter 13: Envy's Burn

It was silent for the next few minutes as both Soul and Maka mused over what was about to happen over the next couple of days possibly.

Soul suddenly squeezed Maka's hand to get her attention. "I don't know how long Blair and my brother are going to be here, but let's make sure to try an avoid them as much as possible."

Maka pouted and nodded her head. "I'm just wondering how they tracked you down if you never really told anyone you were coming here besides Black Star."

Soul frowned and shrugged. "The only thing I can think of is that they somehow got into my room and hacked my computer or something."

"Anyways, stressing about it now won't do us any good. It shouldn't be too hard to get out of their sight." Soul continued on.

Maka nodded her head and stood up from Soul's bed. "Yeah, hopefully we can leave and go out on some excursion before they even come here."

Soul nodded his head in agreement and gave her a light kiss goodnight. "See you in the morning."

The following day, Soul greeted Black Star as usual in the hallway outside their rooms and informed him of what had happened last night.

"What? How the hell did Blair and your brother find us?!" Black Star yelled out.

Soul scowled and shook his head. "Hell if I know; I'm pretty sure Blair might have somehow bribed the apartment manager to get into our rooms."

Black Star scowled as he put his hands behind his head. "Does Maka know the situation that happened between Blair and your brother?"

"All she knows is that Blair cheated on me and that's it." Soul related to him simply.

"She's going to find out the rest of the story eventually if they find us." Black Star mused.

Soul grimaced as he smoothed out his plain red shirt. "That's why we need to just hurry up and eat breakfast and then head out into the city somewhere."

Black Star only nodded his head as they finally met up with Maka and Tsubaki in the lobby as typical.

"Good Morning you guys!" Tsubaki chirped out cheerfully while Maka only smiled tiredly before looking away.

"Morning Tsubaki; I like the outfit you have on today!" Black Star cheered out, as he gave her a light peck on the cheek.

Tsubaki giggled and shook her head. "It's only a plain pink shirt with a purple skirt, nothing special."

While Tsubaki and Black Star greeted each other, Soul and Maka were more quiet and awkward around each other.

"You're not worried about running into them are you?" Soul whispered to her.

Maka frowned and shook her head before trying to smile more brightly. "I just don't want them causing any disruptions or trouble with us if we do see them." 'And I'm wondering what Soul's last girlfriend was like. I really have nothing to worry about, but what if this ends up like another Kid/Liz situation possibly?'

"Maka are you coming? We're heading towards breakfast now." Tsubaki questioned, lightly tapping her on the shoulder.

Maka blinked as she was snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm coming."

"What was up with you and Soul back there? Are you two having relationship issues now?" Tsubaki whispered, as they started walking behind Soul and Black Star.

Maka shook her head. "No, we're okay for now, but apparently his brother and his Ex are coming here."

Tsubaki took a step back in shock. "What? That's crazy!"

Maka nodded her solemnly. "Hopefully we can avoid coming across them though."

Tsubaki nodded her head in agreement. "Today, we're supposed to check out some more parks and even see the Magic Fountain performance, so don't let that issue distract you from enjoying yourself!"

Maka grinned and nodded her head. "You're right. I'm looking forward to seeing that light show tonight!"

Breakfast occurred as usual and Maka found herself calming down the more time passed. Just as they all were getting up to head out, a voice called out to them that made Soul and Black Star grimace and go speechless.

Soul glared at Wes and Blair before sighing and trying to get out of their line of vision, but knew it was too late. "Damn it, we couldn't avoid them."

Black Star scowled as he watched Wes try to calm Blair down, but she only ended up running over to them before he could stop her.

"Soul, Black Star! It's been too long!" Blair squealed out, as she hugged Soul and practically smashed her breasts into his face.

Maka and Tsubaki, who had still been sitting at the table, gawked at Blair's actions.

Maka growled as she started to bend the fork in her hand. 'I can't believe this woman, she just ran in here knowing he didn't want to see her without a care in the world…'

Soul eventually was able to get out of Blair's grip by shoving her away. "Get away from me; I told you I didn't want to see either of you!"

Blair only pouted before smirking as she noticed some blood dripping from Soul's nose. "Oh silly me, I forgot what type of effect I can have on you."

Soul only scowled and wiped his nose while Black Star only shook his head next to him. Blair smiled and glanced around as she noticed Maka and Tsubaki gazing at her bitterly.

"Who are the two girls?" Blair asked, pointing over to them.

Soul scoffed and was about to tell her it was none of her business when Black Star suddenly spoke up.

"The girl with pigtails is Maka and the girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail is Tsubaki." Black Star answered simply.

Soul gave him a look that silently asked him why he told her that, but Black Star only ignored it.

Blair arched an eyebrow at them as she met Maka's glaring at her with a smirk. "Don't tell me those are the girls you chose to hang out with for the summer; you guys couldn't have picked out anyone better?"

Black Star narrowed his eyes at that comment as he let out a cold laugh. "Like you have any right to talk when you're only known as a-"

Black Star was suddenly cut off by Wes finally approaching the scene. "Blair, we aren't guests at this hotel! We aren't supposed to go beyond the hotel lobby!"

Blair smiled sweetly as she turned back towards Wes. "I just wanted to say Hi to Soul and his friends."

Wes only shook his head before he gave a quick glance towards Soul. "Sorry this came out of nowhere but, I-"

"Save it. I don't where you got in your head that you thought it was a good idea to come here, but it wasn't. Just take Blair and get out of here." Soul snapped out.

Wes frowned and was about to retort back, but Soul was already walking away from the area without a look back.

'Damn it, if only Blair hadn't called him last night, then I could have at least tried to smooth things over with him today.' Wes thought, before he lightly pulled Blair away from the restaurant.

Tsubaki let out a sigh as she turned back to Maka and noticed she was still bending her utensils in silent fury.

"Maka, don't let your anger show. She'll only use that as fuel to mess with you." Tsubaki mumbled.

Maka huffed as she placed her bent fork down. "Who says I'm angry?"

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow and only shook her head. "Well, you bent all your utensils in half and you're starting to freak me out a bit."

Maka scowled and slowly took a deep breathe in and out to calm herself down. "Tsubaki, I didn't think it was possible, but I think I found someone who annoys me more than Liz used to."

~X~

"Welcome to the Labyrinth Park of Horta in Barcelona! If you get lost, please refer to the mini maps we have set up around the maze for your convenience!" The tour guide announced before he began to take groups around.

Black Star grinned as he took a sweeping glance around before he gently grabbed Tsubaki by the arm.

"Let's challenge Soul and Maka to a race! The first one to get to the fountain at the end has to pay for lunch!"

Tsubaki smiled at Black Star's enthusiasm, but shook her head as she pointed back to Soul and Maka.

"I don't think they're in the mood right now to do anything together." She whispered to him, as they both gave a side glance to Maka and Soul who were gazing in all directions except for at each other.

"I'm going to head into the maze alone; I don't need your help." Maka scoffed, as she finally turned towards Soul.

Soul frowned and rolled his eyes. "I don't get why you're so mad at me. Blair was the one who came onto me, not the other way around!"

Maka only crossed her arms and let out a huff. "Oh yeah, then why did you get a nosebleed from her touching you? I bet you secretly enjoyed it, all men get that way when a busty woman comes onto them."

Soul growled as he started to grit his teeth. "Don't compare me to other guys! How could you not have seen that I was trying to shove her away?!"

Maka only scoffed and ignored Soul by walking into the maze without him with Soul glaring at her retreating back before following her in.

Black Star and Tsubaki watched them with a frown. "How long do you think their fighting is going to last?" Tsubaki asked aloud.

Black Star shrugged and shook his head. "Not until Blair and Wes leave or we somehow find a way to get them to truly leave us alone."

Maka briskly walked through the maze and turned in all sorts of directions to get Soul off her back. 'Stupid Soul getting a nosebleed like that. Even if you didn't enjoy the hug, why didn't you at least have better control over your hormones?!'

Maka sighed and glanced up as she realized she had walked right into a dead end. Maka frowned and glanced back to see if Soul was still following her and realized she had lost him.

'Good I don't need him anyways- wait, what am I thinking?! I shouldn't be letting my jealously get to me like this. That was what caused trouble with my relationship with Kid and now I'm doing it all over again…' Maka thought, as closed her eyes and tried to think clearly.

"I should just retrace my steps. Though I don't know exactly where I was going because I was just trying to get away from Soul, but I should be able to find my way." Maka reasoned quietly to herself.

Maka had started walking back for about 10 minutes when she bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." The man grumbled.

Maka shook her head and took a good look at the man before frowning. "Aren't you that guy from earlier at the hotel?" 'This must be Soul's brother, the guy who was with his Ex. If he's here, that must mean Blair isn't too far away.'

Wes looked down at Maka and blinked in confusion before he started to recognize her. "Ah, you were there with my brother and his friends earlier."

Maka nodded her head slowly and narrowed her eyes. "Why did you come here anyways? You knew Soul didn't want to see you."

Wes sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "I know he doesn't want to see me, but our parents have been bugging me about trying to find him and I wanted to try to work things out with him before I leave Death City again."

Maka looked unconvinced. "I don't see how you thought he would be happy when you brought along his Ex as well!"

"I know, but she was the one who found out he came here and she wanted me to return the favor by bringing her along. This is my fault and Blair is only making things worse." Wes grumbled.

"What do you mean by your fault?" Maka asked, as she brushed away some leaves away from her light blue dress.

Wes groaned, wondering if he should even tell Maka and just have another person pissed off at him. "Not too long ago, Blair came onto me while she was still in a relationship with Soul. I didn't know they were still together though, so when Soul saw us together he effectively broke off all contact with me."

Maka scoffed and laughed bitterly. "You aren't going to get any sympathy from me. It's no wonder he dislikes you so much!"

Wes frowned and nodded his head. "I know what I did was wrong, but I'm trying to make amends with him now. Blair on the other hand enjoys messing with guys for her own amusement, which is why I told her to stay at the hotel for now."

"Wait, so that means you followed us here after breakfast?!" Maka cried out in shock.

Wes looked taken aback and shook his head. "I'm not crazy you know. While it is true I only came here because I noticed the same motorcycle your hotel rents out in the parking lot, I originally came out into town to just buy some snacks for later on."

As Wes finished his statement, he opened up his backpack to show proof of the snacks he had purchased to prove his innocence.

Maka glanced at Wes's contents before gazing back at him to see if there was any sign that he was lying, but he truly seemed sincere in trying to fix his strained relationship with his brother.

"Why didn't you just wait until Soul came back from his vacation? You're starting things off in all the wrong ways." Maka finally asked.

"I wanted to, but it gets tiring to hear every day your mom or dad ask you why you can't find your little brother. I just wanted to get away from them like Soul wanted to and see if I could fix things between us possibly, but I guess that's not going to happen." Wes mused.

'Huh, and here I thought Soul's brother was going to be a nasty and cold-hearted guy, but he really appears to be sad that Soul hates him, though it could just be all an act…' Maka pondered.

Maka sighed as the midday heat started to get to her. "Are you lost in this maze as well? We should at least work together to get out of here."

Wes frowned and shook his head as he took a step back. "It won't look good if we walk out of this maze together and Soul sees us. He'll assume I'm trying to steal you away as well."

Maka blushed slightly at the thought of that, but still remained determined. "It'll be fine. Would you rather wander around here any longer in the sun?

Wes shrugged, but eventually nodded his head and allowed Maka to lead the way out of the dead end. 'I doubt this will end well.'

~X~

"Looks like Maka couldn't handle being in the little old maze!" Black Star laughed out; as he took a sip from the water bottle he had carried in his backpack.

Tsubaki silently groaned and nudged Black Star to be quiet as she looked at Soul with concern.

'Damn it, what's taking her so long? It shouldn't take Maka this long to get out of a maze unless she got distracted by something or she's just making me worry on purpose to piss me off.' Soul thought with a growl.

"Alright that's it, we've been waiting here for like 20 minutes now; I'm going back in to find her." Soul snapped out.

"That won't be necessary." Maka spoke up, as she finally appeared out of the maze's exit with Wes.

Soul frowned at how calm Maka was being standing next to Wes and grabbed her by the arm to pull her away from him.

"Why the hell were you with my brother?! And what is he even doing here?" Soul hissed out in Maka's ear.

Maka shrugged and broke out of Soul's grip. "He was trying to find his way out of the maze and I ran into him along the way. The only reason he came here was because he thought you were here though."

Soul growled, his crimson eyes still glimmering with annoyance. "I don't care that he was looking for me! Why would you even bother talking to him or help him?"

Maka stared at him blankly before she started to glare back. "Don't go making stupid assumptions now just because we spoke to each other a bit; nothing happened between us!"

Soul scoffed and looked away. "I said the exact same thing to you earlier with the Blair incident, but at least you were able to see that I was telling you the truth then."

Maka balled her hands into fists and was ready to give him a chop with only her hands when Wes cut in.

"Stop bickering like little kids, the both of you know you like each other, so is there really any reason to argue and think that the other is leaving you for another?" Wes asked tiredly.

Soul and Maka both looked at each other in embarrassment before sighing and looking away.

"That's easy for you to say. Everyone prefers you over me." Soul muttered quietly enough so that Wes wouldn't hear him, but Maka did.

'Is that why Soul is so mad? I would never be so mean to just dump him like that…' Maka thought, as she gave Soul a side glance.

An awkward silence fell over the group until Wes spoke up again. "Anyways, I know when I'm not wanted. I know you don't want to see me Soul, but I hope we can at least fix things between each other before I leave. Blair and I will only be here for a week, so we won't be in your way for very long."

Soul said nothing back as he watched Wes leave the area quietly.

"Uh, do you guys still want to check out the garden and the pavilion?" Black Star asked, trying to break the silence finally.

Soul shrugged and turned back to his friends. "Yeah I guess so; we're wasting time just standing here."

Maka sighed and watched as Tsubaki and Black Star walked ahead of them. "Let's go check out the pavilion first." Maka suggested.

Soul only nodded his head silently. 'Even if our relationship is only going to be for the summer, I don't want to entertain the thought of Maka going out with other guys, especially my own brother.'

~X~

"Geez, what took you so long to come back Wes? I thought you only went out to get some snacks." Blair asked, as she took out a bag of chips and started to munch on them.

Wes shrugged as he started to take out all the goods from his backpack. "I took a detour."

Blair arched an eyebrow at that and smirked. "Oh, you mean you went to look for Soul right? Did you learn anything about that pigtailed girl who was glaring at me earlier?"

Wes grimaced and shook his head, but he knew by the look Blair was giving him she didn't believe him.

"You know, I bet that pigtailed girl is the new woman in Soul's life. I can't believe that's his type; why would he want to be with a flat-chested girl like her?" Blair scoffed.

Wes rolled his eyes before smirking. "Why do you even care who Soul dates; shouldn't you be happy with whoever he finds happiness with?"

Blair nearly choked on a potato chip and quickly grabbed some soda in order to wash it down. "Are you accusing me of being jealous?! I don't care who Soul dates; I just figured he could do better than a girl like that."

Wes only shook his head. "You're just mad that Soul isn't still hung up on you and has moved on."

Blair pouted before she eventually stood up from her bed and wrapped her arms around Wes' neck. "What about you Wes? Are you still hung up on me?"

Wes scowled and pushed Blair away. "No, I'm not actually. I only came here to give you some snacks and now I'm going to head back to my room."

Blair frowned and quickly grabbed Wes by the arm before he could exit her room. "Wait, we should at least do one activity today. It's already past noon now and I'll I've done is explore the hotel."

"What do you want to do then?" Wes asked with a sigh.

Blair grinned cheerfully and picked up a tourist guidebook that had been sitting near the TV.

"I was reading about some of the attractions nearby, and there's this one called the Magic Fountain of Montjuic that happens every evening. We should go check it out, it's free." Blair suggested, trying to use her best sugary sweet voice.

Wes sighed as he gazed at a few pictures of the event, it looked interesting enough. "Yeah, I guess I have no problems going there."

Blair cheered happily and gave Wes a quick peck on the cheek. "Yay, I knew you would see things my way!"

Wes only shook his head before turning Blair back towards him and fixing her with a serious expression. "Blair, I need you to promise me that you won't cause any more disruptions in Soul's life like you did this morning."

Blair cocked her head in confusion before shaking her head. "No, why should I have to go out of my way to avoid him?"

Wes scowled and shook his head in anger. "You're only causing him to hate us even more! Can't you think about anyone else but yourself for once?!"

Blair huffed and moved out of Wes's grip. "Fine, I'll leave him alone if it will get you off my back."

Wes ignored her attitude and nodded his head as he finally left Blair's room to go back to his own.

'He may not want me hanging around Soul, but I still want to know more about that pigtailed girl. There's obviously something going on between them.

~X~

"Hey, are you girls almost ready? The light show is going to be over before we even get there!" Black Star yelled out, as he banged on Tsubaki's door.

"Calm down, the show doesn't start for another hour!" Maka yelled out from behind the door.

Black Star scoffed and leaned against the door while Soul let out a yawn next to him.

"Hey man, are you still having issues with Maka?" Black Star asked.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "It's up and down really. We now know a little bit more about each other pasts since the trip to the lake, but I wonder sometimes if we're letting our emotions get too strong."

Black Star grinned. "Isn't it a little too late to be saying that after what happened earlier?! You should try to be more like Tsubaki and I."

Soul frowned and rolled his eyes. "And what makes your relationship so great?"

Black Star only grinned even more and puffed up his chest proudly. "Our relationship is going to last beyond the summer unlike the doubt you and Maka have with yours."

"What makes you so sure of that? We're not all going to the same colleges I'm pretty sure." Soul stated.

Black Star only shook his head and continued to grin confidently. "There's a little girl I want to meet that's important to her when we get back home."

Soul brushed a hand through his hair and shrugged. "I still wouldn't get your hopes up that our relationships will go beyond the summer."

Black Star snorted at Soul's pessimism. "Well, it's nice to think about it at least!"

Meanwhile back in Tsubaki's room, Maka and Tsubaki were having a similar conversation.

"You told Soul about Kid; why?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know; I mean we had been wondering about each other past lives and so it just got brought up. It's not like I said that much about him."

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head before eventually smirking. "Looks like you really do like Soul a lot then."

"I know, but sometimes I wish I didn't. It's only going to cause heartache when we eventually have to part ways and go back to our regular lives back at home." Maka mused.

"Don't say that. You never know what could happen really." Tsubaki explained with a smile.

Before Maka could speak up again, another banging on the door occurred.

"Guess we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer." Tsubaki laughed out.

Maka grinned and nodded her head in agreement.

"Finally, it's about time you two came out here!" Black Star scoffed, when he finally saw Maka come out of the room followed by Tsubaki.

"What time is the show supposed to start at?" Tsubaki asked when they all finally reached a good spot close to the fountain.

"The show occurs every 30 minutes starting from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm." Maka replied back.

Tsubaki nodded her head and took a seat by a nearby bench while Black Star sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"If you guys are sitting there, then where are we going to sit at?" Maka asked with a pout, as she looked around for any more nearby benches.

Black Star shrugged. "Don't know, but you two better hurry up and find a spot since the place is getting crowded."

Maka frowned at Black Star's tone, but Soul took her by the hand before she could make any comment.

"Do you think they'll be able to find a good spot?" Tsubaki asked Black Star.

Black Star smirked and nodded his head. "They should, but I care more about the fact that they need to stop fighting with each other."

Eventually after walking around for a while, Soul guided them to a small bench not too far away from where they were a few minutes ago.

"At least we'll still be able to see the show from here." Soul mused quietly.

Maka nodded her head as she gazed upwards and smiled at the few stars she could make out in the pitch black sky.

"It seems like it's about to start now." Soul noted, as he heard music begin to play and watched as some the fountain water began to swish upwards.

Maka grinned and gazed at the colorful light display in awe before she lightly tugged on Soul so that they could take a picture together.

As the show came to an end, Maka glanced through her photos happily while Soul stared at a few of them over her shoulder.

"Pretty soon you're going to have to clear out some of those photos; you've taken a lot already." Soul pointed out with a grin.

Maka turned towards him and huffed. "Yes I know, it's just hard picking out which ones I want to keep though."

Soul nodded his head and quietly grabbed one of Maka's hands. "Listen Maka, I'm sorry I let my anger get to me earlier. It's just frustrating having my brother here and I-"

Maka only smiled and cut Soul off by putting a finger to his lips. "Soul, you don't need to explain yourself. I understand, and I'm sorry too for how I behaved earlier."

Soul grinned crookedly as he took the finger that was on his lips and gently pulled Maka closer to him.

"Since we've gotten all the apologies out of our systems now, I think it's time we have the make-up kiss now, don't you?"

Maka laughed lightly at Soul's flirting and nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around Soul's neck and brought her lips to his.

Soul was slightly shocked at Maka initiating the kiss this time, but grinned against her lips and pulled her in closer to deepen it.

"I told you this was a nice show to go to! And to think you wanted to stay in the hotel for the rest of the day." Blair stated to Wes, as the two got up from their seats.

Wes shrugged as they made their way through the crowds of people leaving when Blair suddenly abruptly stopped in front of him.

"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?" Wes asked.

Blair only narrowed her eyes and pointed ahead towards a couple sitting at a nearby bench.

Wes followed her line of direction and immediately grabbed Blair and turned her around before she could interfere with their moment. "Let's not interrupt them."

Blair only frowned and nodded her head, but gave one last look to the couple before turning away. 'Soul really has moved on with that girl; he doesn't miss me anymore.'

Blair scowled to herself as she tightened her hands into fists. 'This isn't right; just imagining what rumors or things people would say to me if they knew Soul picked a plain looking girl like her over me makes me sick. I may not want Soul back seriously, but I do want him and his new girlfriend to know I won't be that easy to get rid of…'

~x~

That's it for Chapter 13! Feedback with reviews is always appreciated, and as always, thanks for reading!


	14. Hidden Affections

Chapter 14: Hidden Affections

Blair sighed as she tried to push the memory of Soul and Maka kissing out of her thoughts. There was no point in letting it bug her now with the day basically being done.

'If I'm really going to mess with those two, then I need to find a way to sneak into their hotel and possibly get some help from some other guests. That shouldn't be too hard for me to do; my beauty and charms can pretty much get any guy to listen to me, even if it's just for a little bit.' Blair thought with a smirk.

Wes glanced at Blair from the side when he noticed she was being unusually quiet.

"Is something bothering you Blair?" Wes asked with an arched eyebrow.

Blair turned towards him and shook her head with a smile. "Nope, I'm fine. I'm just feeling a little bit tired; it has gotten pretty late now."

Wes narrowed his eyes at Blair's statement, considering how talkative and excited she was just a few minutes ago before they saw Soul and Maka, but didn't pry any further. 'It seems like she's trying to keep something from me.'

"Anyways, let's get back to the hotel now. I still want to lounge in the bath before I go to bed!" Blair huffed out, as she started to walk a bit faster ahead of Wes to the taxis. 'And I need to start coming up with some plans…'

Wes frowned at Blair's behavior and sped up his pace to keep up with her. "Alright, there's no need to be in such a rush. We aren't that far away from where the taxis are parked."

Once Wes and Blair were back at the hotel, Blair quickly waved goodbye to him and told him they still needed to come up with more places to go before the week was already up.

Wes sighed and nodded his head as he watched Blair walk away. 'Blair obviously doesn't like the fact that Soul no longer pays her any attention, but I'm not sure what she's going to do about that. I'll need to watch her carefully for the possibility that I might need to warn Soul, though I doubt he'll even want to hear me out after all the problems I've caused him…'

"Still, even if Soul doesn't want my help; the least I can do for him is try to keep Blair from bothering him." Wes mumbled under his breathe, as he finally started walking back to his own room.

~X~

Black Star yawned as he leaned his head against his palm while they all sat together finishing up their breakfast.

"Guys, what the hell are we going to do today? I think we've pretty much gone to all the major attractions in Barcelona already!" He yelled out.

Tsubaki sighed and couldn't help but nod her head in agreement next to him. "Yeah, Maka and I have been checking the tourist guidebooks, but we haven't really seen anything interesting that sticks out to us."

"Professor Stein and Marie said they could take us out again today until about 3 pm. I'm not sure what places they had in mind though, but they did say we could split into groups again like we did when we went to Tarragona." Maka divulged.

Black Star leaned back in his seat as he thought over what happened the last time they went out on a day trip with them. "We did go to some nice areas the last time we were with them, so I guess this will be fun."

"What time are they coming here?" Soul asked aloud.

"I think in about an hour since it's about 9 am right now, so we should go get ready back at our rooms and meet them in the lobby." Maka replied back.

Everyone nodded their heads and finally got up from the table to go head to their respective rooms. Once everyone was finished getting ready, they met Stein and Marie who were standing close by the parking lot.

"Hey girls, it's good to see you again; sorry we've been so busy!" Marie stated excitedly, as she gave both Maka and Tsubaki a hug.

Stein grinned and waved to Black Star and Soul who waved back. "I see you all still enjoy hanging out with each other."

Black Star shrugged, but nodded his head with a smirk. "Well, they are pretty much our girlfriends."

Marie squealed as she overheard Black Star's words and turned back to Tsubaki and Maka. "Is what he just said true?!"

Maka and Tsubaki both blushed before they nodded their heads causing Marie to grin and squeal even more.

"Let's not waste any more time standing here. Since Marie and I have different places we have to go to at 3 pm, we both just took our own cars here; how do you guys want to split up?" Stein asked.

"Last time we went places with you Stein, so I guess we can go with Marie this time." Maka suggested, while Soul shrugged in agreement with Maka's idea.

Stein nodded his head as he turned towards Black Star and Tsubaki. "Is that idea okay with you two?"

"Yeah I guess so, just don't try and do anything creepy to us." Black Star said with a scoff, as Tsubaki laughed lightly next to him.

Stein smiled smugly as he turned the screw in his head. "Don't tempt me with ideas now. I've never actually experimented on teenagers to be honest."

Both Black Star and Tsubaki backed away from him at that statement while Marie glared at him. "Stop freaking them out like that; this is supposed to be an enjoyable vacation for them!"

Stein only continued to smile and nodded his head as he guided them to his car while Marie did the same with Soul and Maka.

"What places did you have in mind to take us to Marie?" Maka asked curiously, once they were finally on the road.

Marie only smiled and shook her head. "I want it to be a surprise! I hope you two like the places I have in mind though, I thought about your personalities when I picked them out." 'I also want to see how far I can push you two out of your comfort zones!'

Marie eventually parked her car outside of a small studio, causing Soul and Maka to gaze at the area in confusion.

"Where exactly are we? Is this some type of museum?" Soul questioned.

Marie locked up her car and came up behind both Soul and Maka with a grin. "No, this isn't a museum; you two are going to have Salsa lessons!"

Maka's eyes widened in shock as she quickly shook her head in disagreement and took a step back while Soul gave her a blank stare.

"I don't even know how to dance! And besides, Soul and I aren't dressed for the occasion!" Maka cried out.

Marie only shook her head and lightly pushed the two inside. "Don't be silly; anyone can learn how to dance! This studio has outfits you two can change into; Salsa dancing is a part of Spanish culture after all."

'I guess she does have a point there, but there are other ways to learn about Spanish culture and history besides dancing!' Maka thought with a sigh, as Marie led her into a changing room.

After a few minutes passed, Maka came out wearing a light red silk dress with matching red ribbons in her hair.

Marie grinned as she brushed away some loose threads of the dress. "Ah, you look so pretty Maka! Soul's mouth is going to drop when he sees you in this!"

Maka blushed and gazed back at herself in the mirror. "I don't know about that, I'm used to Soul teasing me about my small breasts or supposedly fat ankles."

Marie arched an eyebrow at that before she started smiling again. "You two toss some odd insults at each other. Now don't worry about messing up, everyone was a beginner at some point!"

Maka huffed and nodded her head as she finally moved out of the changing room and took a glance at Soul's pinstripe suit that he was borrowing while Soul checked out her dress.

Soul gaped at Maka's form fitting dress before he quickly looked away with a blush. 'Damn, I didn't know Maka had curves like that.'

Marie smirked at Soul's reaction and leaned over to whisper in Maka's ear. "See, I told you would get a reaction out of him."

Maka's cheeks reddened even more as she smiled and walked over to him.

"I really don't know how to dance at all, so would it be okay if you leaded?" Maka asked Soul, as she held her hand out to him.

Soul shrugged and nodded his head as he stood up and accepted her hand as he guided them onto the dance floor.

Marie beamed at the pair before she popped in her Salsa cd into a nearby radio. "Are you two ready to start?"

Maka sighed and reluctantly met Soul's gaze as she moved her hands into the proper position that Marie was showing them before they both gave her the signal they were ready to begin.

"Alright, Salsa music moves in the standard 8 beats. Just pretend that the point you are currently standing at is point 1 and you'll begin taking steps in the same pattern as when you walk." Marie explained.

Maka frowned and turned back to face Soul. "What does all of that even mean?" She whispered to him.

Soul scoffed, just as lost as she was. "I honestly don't know, but I at least know some basic dancing lessons, so we should be fine."

Maka laughed lightly and tried to relax as Marie began to turn up the music and show them how to dance out the steps slowly. Soul and Maka tried to follow her pattern, but Maka only ended up stomping on Soul's feet most of the time.

"I'm sorry; I told you I was bad at this!" Maka grumbled out, as she watched Soul angrily rub at his feet and glare at her.

Soul sighed and sat down the wood floor. "I'm not going to be able to walk if you keep messing up like this! Maybe you should take off those heels."

Maka pouted at the fact she still hadn't gotten the lessons down in the past hour, but nodded her head by taking off her shoes and placing them to the side.

"Are you two going to give up so soon?" Marie asked from beside them.

Soul and Maka glanced at each other before turning back to Marie and shaking their heads. "I think we'll do better now that I took my shoes off." Maka reasoned.

Just as Maka had said, their dancing improved a whole lot more even when Maka still messed up a few times afterwards. About another hour later, the song came to an end as Maka and Soul let out a sigh of relief, feeling out of breathe and sweaty.

"Not bad for your first time! I'm sure you two are ready to move on to another place now, so why not wash off real quick and change back into your regular clothes?" Marie declared happily.

Soul and Maka tiredly nodded their heads as they moved away from each other to go use the shower facilities in the back of the studio and change back into their normal clothes.

Soul yawned as he brushed out his brown shirt and jeans when he noticed Maka walk out in one of her usual summer dresses with her hair down.

"You're not going to put your hair back into their pigtails?" He asked.

Maka brushed a finger through her sandy blonde hair and shook her head. "No, my hair got a bit messy from dancing, so I figured I would just keep it down for the rest of the day."

Soul gave her a good glance over before he grinned. "You look better that way anyways."

Maka blushed slightly and smiled even more just as Marie approached them again. "Seems like Salsa dancing wasn't as bad as you two thought it would be. I'll take you guys to the next areas I have in mind now."

~X~

"Where the heck are you taking us? You've been driving for close to 40 minutes now!" Black Star snapped out restlessly in his seat.

Stein only smiled and shook his head before he gave a quick glance towards Tsubaki. "How do you put up with this guy?"

Tsubaki laughed and shrugged. "You get used to him after a while."

"Hey, I'm still here you know; don't ignore your God!" Black Star huffed out.

Tsubaki smiled and gently grabbed Black Star's hand and rubbed it soothingly. "Calm down Black Star. Professor Stein just wants it to be a surprise where he's taking us."

Eventually, Stein came to a stop at a parking lot right by a stadium and stepped out of the car with Black Star and Tsubaki following him out.

"This is Camp Nou Stadium; it's the largest stadium not only in Barcelona, but in all of Europe. I figured we could take a tour guide around here and visit the museum." Stein said.

Black Star looked around with a grin. "Not a bad placed you picked out here doc. Will we be able to play any football on the field with any of Spain's best players?"

"Probably not, they need to keep the field in good condition for any practice games." Stein replied back.

Black Star frowned at that when suddenly Tsubaki tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"I'll play a match of football with you in a field nearby the hotel before the summer ends." She said with a grin.

Black Star arched an eyebrow as he started to smirk back. "Oh really, are you sure you're up for the challenge? I usually make bets when I play games with people."

Tsubaki nodded her head. "We can name the stakes at another time, but for now, let's just enjoy the places Professor Stein is going to take us.

Black Star silently agreed as the two of them followed Stein into the stadium after he paid for the tickets.

Tsubaki gazed in awe at the colorful display of blue and red around the stadium as the tour guide showed them the player's dressing rooms, press conference area, and the VIP lounge and seats.

"Walking around here reminds me of high school again." Black Star mused, as he snapped a few photos of himself sitting in the VIP seats.

"How so?" Tsubaki asked in interest, sitting down next to him.

Black Star shrugged as he glanced around a bit more. "Well as you already know, I was in a lot of different sports in high school, but the one I focused on the most was wrestling."

Tsubaki nodded her head in understanding. "Ah, seeing the locker rooms and the player's uniforms must have reminded you about it then I'm guessing."

"Yeah, pretty much. You know, I wish I could play against one of these players and show them how great I am, but it's off season." Black Star complained.

Tsubaki only smiled as a thought came to her. "Well, even though they won't be able to see how great you are, I've already seen how great your football skills are in action."

Black Star frowned and gave her a look of puzzlement. "I don't remember you ever seeing me play though."

"Oh, you didn't see us, but Maka and I saw you playing a small game with some little kids a few weeks ago when we were on Las Ramblas street." Tsubaki continued on.

Black Star tried to think back to the moment Tsubaki was talking about before grinning as the memory came back to him.

"Oh yeah, I remember that! I showed them a few tricks that day." Black Star grinned proudly.

Tsubaki was about to speak up again when Stein suddenly interrupted her.

"You guys, we're going to get left behind if you two just sit here chatting. Don't you want to check out the museum still?" He questioned.

Black Star nodded his head and grabbed Tsubaki's hand as they both stepped out of the seats.

Stein led them back to the tour group and smiled as he watched Black Star buy him and Tsubaki matching jerseys before he started taking pictures of the championship trophies while Tsubaki read over the history of the stadium.

'I may not be much of a romantic, but it's nice seeing two people with totally different personalities go well together. Though a cynical part of me wonders just how long summer romances like these last…'

Stein sighed and looked down at his watch as he realized it was already a quarter past 1 pm.

"We should go meet back with Marie and others now for lunch. Time went by faster than I thought it would." He announced.

Tsubaki and Black Star frowned at having to leave so soon, but nodded their heads and trailed behind Stein back to his car where they eventually met back together as a group at a Mediterranean restaurant close to their hotel.

"What's with the shark plushy Maka; did Soul get that for you?" Black Star asked.

Maka smiled and shook her head. "I bought it at the aquarium's gift shop after Soul and I went through the shark tunnel. Though it does remind me of Soul, maybe I should name it after him!"

Soul's cheeks reddened a bit at the thought of Maka naming her plushy after him as he peered over at the bag Black Star had at his feet.

"Where did you two end up going; looks like you bought a lot of stuff." Soul asked.

Black Star looked down at his bag and shook his head. "Nah man, we went to Barcelona's football stadium and bought some matching jerseys!"

Soul arched an eyebrow at that and shook his head. "Really, you guys are that type of couple where you have to wear matching outfits?"

Black Star scoffed as he wiped away some sauce from his lips. "Hey, at least Tsubaki and I aren't afraid to show our love, unlike you two!"

Soul and Maka gave each other side glances before they both started laughing. "That wasn't a very good comeback you know." Maka managed to get out in a snicker.

Black Star frowned as he watched Soul and Maka laugh at him before turning towards Tsubaki who was trying to still stifle her own giggling.

"It wasn't that funny." He grumbled.

Tsubaki only smiled and shook her head. "I know, but you really could have done better than that."

Stein and Marie watched the group joke around with each other before turning back towards their food.

"It's a shame that we aren't able to hang out with them as much today as we did last time." Marie muttered with a sigh, as she picked at her pasta.

Stein shrugged, but nodded his head. "I don't think it's that big deal of a deal to them. I'm sure they're just going to relax comfortably at the hotel after this."

~X~

'Where did I put it? Geez, I know I packed this medicine with me before I left.' Blair thought to herself with a groan, as she went through her medicine bag.

After throwing some packages around for a few minutes, Blair grinned as she finally found what she was looking for.

"This should do just the trick I'm looking for." Blair whispered under her breathe, as she stood up from her bed and clutched the pill bottle tightly to her chest with a grin.

'Now I just need some patsies to take the fall for me while I put my plan into action. If this little pill does what I think it will do, it should cause huge changes in Soul's new relationship. I wonder if he'll be able to handle it… ' Blair thought with a grin.

Blair quickly changed out of her plain blue jeans and t-shirt and put on her tight black mini skirt and matching tank top that she wore when she wanted to attract guys.

As Blair headed downstairs into the lobby of Grand Central, she briefly glanced around to make sure Wes wasn't in the area and smirked when she didn't see him. 'I'm home free; now I just to need to get a taxi to take me to the Hotel Arts.' Unbeknownst to Blair, the receptionist at the front desk watched as she left the hotel before picking up the phone to make a call.

"Mr. Evans, this is the front desk. Your companion just left the hotel's premises."

Wes sighed and quickly thanked the receptionist as he sat up in his bed and prepared to change clothes. "Damn it Blair, what are you doing now?" He muttered angrily. 'I really hope I'm not too late before she starts causing trouble…'

About 15 minutes later, Blair reached the Hotel Arts and grinned as she took a glance at her watch. "3:15 pm. It's still a little bit early to eat dinner. Guess I'll need to walk around out front for a bit."

Blair walked into the lobby and looked around for any guys just hanging around the area and smirked when she immediately noticed two guys checking her out.

'This is going to be easier than I thought.' Blair thought with a smile, as she walked up to them.

Victor and David smiled as Blair approached them. "Hey, what brings a pretty girl like you to this hotel?"

Blair only shrugged and sent them both a wink. "I'm just looking for some guys to hang out with. What about you two?"

"We actually shouldn't be really hanging around here since we got into trouble with the security here, but we're not leaving this place until we get our revenge on somebody." David replied back smoothly.

Blair blinked in confusion at the mention of revenge, but Victor only smirked and pointed a finger behind her. "Well speak of the devil; there she is with her little friends."

Blair turned around to see who he was talking about and nearly let out a gasp as she realized they were referring to Maka and her friends who had just returned back to the hotel.

"Get down, it's hard enough having to avoid security; we can't let them see us." David hissed out, as he tugged them all behind some bushes.

"So, what time are we meeting for dinner?" Tsubaki asked.

"We just ate, so we should wait until like around 8 or so." Maka mused.

"That's fine with me. I'm going to go chill out in my room until then." Black Star stated, as they all headed back over to the elevators and left the lobby.

"Dang it, they're going to make us wait 5 hours until they come out again." David grumbled, as they all stepped out of the bushes.

"What plan were you even going to put into action to exact your revenge?" Blair asked the two of them.

David and Victor both gave each other a look before sighing. "I guess we didn't have too much in mind yet really." David finally responded.

Blair frowned and shook her head at the pair. "Why do you even want to get revenge on Maka anyways?"

Victor scowled. "She embarrassed us at a nearby club a few weeks ago. We just wanted to mess around with her a bit, but she caught onto us and even punched David out."

Blair laughed lightly, but quickly stopped when she saw David and Victor glare at her. "Sorry, but you should have been more careful about how you did it. I actually want to mess around with her a bit also, so maybe we can help each other out."

David scoffed and shook his head. "I doubt your plan is any better than ours."

Blair pouted and pulled out the pill bottle from her pocket. "Don't be so sure. "

Victor glanced at the bottle and frowned. "You haven't even mentioned your idea yet, but it already sounds similar the one we had planned out originally back when we went to the club with her."

"That's where you're wrong. While it is true my pill will probably cause similar effects to what you two had in mind, it's after effects are what it is really known to cause trouble for." Blair explained.

David snorted at Blair's explanation. "None of that sounds like it is going to make me feel better for what she did to me."

"Wait, let me finish. There's a reason I sometimes like to call this pill the heartbreak pill; in the past when I've seen this drug used, it usually caused trouble between couples and sometimes even caused them to break up. Usually, the user affected by the drug becomes so relaxed that they say or do things they might not even remember by the next day." Blair continued on.

"So, it like makes the person act drunk without the need of alcohol?" David assumed.

Blair nodded her head and watched as David and Victor thought it over before starting to smirk.

"You know, seeing both that girl and her boyfriend endure a test on their love and trust for each other sounds better than any plans we had in mind." Victor mused.

"What did you say your name was cutie?" David asked Blair with a grin.

"It's Blair, and since we have so much time on our hands now, we should start putting my plan into motion." Blair replied back.

~X~

"Sometimes I wish all the hotel's restaurants were open at the same time so we would have more options for dinner." Maka mentioned aloud.

Soul scoffed next to her. "And what good would that do? The restaurant workers have to go home and rest at some point too."

Maka frowned and sent him a glare before lightly poking him with her fork.

"Do you two ever stop finding a reason to argue?" Black Star asked from across the table.

Maka huffed and turned to face him. "We're just messing with each other."

Tsubaki smiled at her friend's antics, but frowned as she noticed two familiar faces approaching the table.

"Maka, what are those two guys doing back here?" She asked.

Maka followed Tsubaki's line of sight and glared at David and Victor. "Didn't the police take you away after what you did to Soul? You two must be trespassing."

Black Star cracked his knuckles at Maka's mention of Soul's injury. "These are the two guys who attacked Soul? It's about time I showed them some payback!"

As Black Star stood up and prepared to attack them, David and Victor suddenly put their hands up as a sign of surrender.

"Whoa man, we didn't come here to fight! We just wanted to apologize for our actions from beforehand." Victor cried out.

Maka scoffed and narrowed her eyes at the two. "Like hell you are. I remember David mouthing to me that this wasn't over yet."

"You're fake apologies aren't going to work on us." Black Star stated, as he moved his fist to punch Victor, when he was abruptly stopped by their waiter.

"Please sir, let's not cause a scene. If these two men are bothering you guys, then we'll kick them out." He said, trying to calm Black Star down as much as possible.

Black Star sighed and reluctantly sat back down as the waiter got the manager to kick David and Victor out.

"How the hell did they get past security?" Soul growled out.

Black Star shrugged and only shook his head as their waiter returned back to them. "Sorry about the trouble, we have your drinks ready for you now at least."

Everyone accepted their drink and tried to calm down from the incident while outside the hotel, Victor and David met up again with Blair.

"Were you able to put the pill into Maka's drink while we distracted the room?" David questioned excitedly.

Blair grinned and nodded her head. "Actually, I put the pill in both Maka and Tsubaki's drink in order to not draw too much suspicion to you guys." 'There's definitely going to be a lot of tension in the air tonight for all of them.'

David and Victor gave each other a smile as they high fived happily. "I only wish I could see the reaction their boyfriends are going to have when the pill's effects start to really come in."

~X~

About an hour into dinner, Black Star and Soul gave each other a look at how odd both Maka and Tsubaki were starting to act. Both of their cheeks were slightly flushed and they couldn't stop giggling over the silliest of things.

Black Star picked up Tsubaki's now half empty glass before setting it back down. "Well, it doesn't smell like they drank alcohol as far as I can tell."

Soul frowned and picked up Maka's drink to smell it also. "So why are they behaving as if they are drunk?"

Black Star shrugged and watched as both Maka and Tsubaki whispered something to each other before they both started laughing and nodded their heads in agreement with each other.

Tsubaki quickly grabbed onto Black Star's arm with a smile while Maka did the same to Soul. "We want to go back to your rooms!" They cried out in unison.

Soul sighed and shook his head. "We don't know what was in your drinks, but we're not going to try anything when you're both acting like this."

Maka pouted and only tightened her grip even further. "You don't have to try anything! We just want to be close to you!"

"Yeah, what Maka said! There's nothing wrong with us just staying one night in your rooms, right?" Tsubaki purred out Black Star.

Black Star frowned and looked to Soul for help who only looked just as freaked out and worried as he was.

"Alright fine, you can stay one night, but I'm sleeping on the sofa while you take the bed." Soul finally said in embarrassment, as he tried to get Maka to stop hugging him.

"Dude, I really hope whatever was in their drink wears off by the morning." Black Star whispered to Soul, as they walked back to their rooms with Tsubaki and Maka close behind them.

"Well, that's how most alcohol is, hopefully this works the same way." Soul grumbled back.

As soon as Black Star closed his door, Tsubaki pounced on him happily and started to peck him with kisses. Black Star groaned and lightly shoved her away, but that only caused Tsubaki to move back in even closer.

"Stop it Tsubaki, you aren't in your right mind." Black Star stated, trying to calm her and even himself down.

"I'll stop when you kiss me back." Tsubaki retorted back seductively in a way that caused Black Star to shudder uncomfortably.

Black Star sighed and silently pushed Tsubaki onto his bed and hovered over her. "I'm only to give you one kiss and that's it. Then I'm heading to the sofa."

Tsubaki only nodded her head and smiled giddily as he moved in to give her a light kiss that Tsubaki quickly made passionate by reaching out her hands to keep his face in place.

Black Star groaned internally and warily started to kiss her back in an attempt to relax her. Just as he started to finally move away, he heard Tsubaki mumble something out in pleasure.

"Don't stop Mifune…" Tsubaki sighed out.

Black Star's eyes widened in shock as he practically jolted from the bed. "What… did you just call me?" 'Is that the guy she's been trying to keep from me; has she been thinking about him every time we've kissed?'

Tsubaki lazily rose her head up from the bed and gave him a look of confusion. "I don't know, wasn't it your name?"

Black Star only shook his head and walked over to the sofa furiously. "Goodnight Tsubaki."

At the same time, Soul was trying to get Maka off of him to no avail.

"Come on Soul, stop resisting me. I can tell your body wants me, even when you say no." Maka hummed out, as she started to rub at his crotch area.

Soul blushed and quickly shoved Maka off of him onto the ground. "Maka, get a hold of yourself! This isn't like you."

Maka only gazed at him hazily before looking away with a sigh. "Oh, I get it. You still have feelings for Blair, don't you?"

Soul scowled and shook his head, but Maka only continued on. "I guess it makes sense that you still like her, she is so pretty after all. Just like Liz."

"Maka, listen. You're out of it because someone drugged your drink." Soul stated, trying to help her off the ground.

Maka only shook her head and moved away from Soul's touch. "It only makes sense that you still like Blair. After all, I'm still trying to get over Kid."

Any words Soul planned to say disappeared at Maka's words. 'She still has feelings for Kid, even now?'

Maka managed to wobbly stand up from the floor and fall onto Soul's bed nearby. "I hate that I still have those feelings for him though, because I'm with you now and I really like you…" Maka slurred off, as she finally fell asleep.

Soul sighed and watched as Maka's breathing evened out before he quietly went over to the sofa and tried to go to sleep.

'She probably still loves Kid, no matter how much time we spend together; she still probably would prefer him any day for me.' Soul thought bitterly to himself, trying to ignore the aching in his chest over what he had just learned.

~x~

This ends Chapter 14! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	15. Wanting You Still

Chapter 15: Wanting You Still

'Ugh, who the hell is knocking on my door at this hour?' Soul thought grouchily, as he wearily opened his eyes and glanced over at his door before turning away.

Soul waited a few minutes for the person to eventually leave, but grudgingly realized that whoever it was had no plans of leaving as they continued to knock on his door.

"Damn it, this had better be important." Soul grumbled out tiredly, as he trudged over to the door and checked through the peephole to see who it was.

To Soul's surprise, he saw his brother standing on the other side of the door looking slightly anxious.

Soul frowned and opened the door a crack to glare at him. "Why the hell are you bothering me at like 1 am in the morning? You don't even stay at this hotel!"

Wes sighed and nodded his head. "I know it's late or technically pretty early right now; I just lost track of time trying to find where Blair snuck off to."

Soul's annoyance grew even more at the mention of Blair. "What the hell does Blair have to do with any of this?"

"I have a hunch that she came here to mess with you; did anything odd happen to you a few hours ago?" Wes questioned.

Soul scowled a bit before he reluctantly nodded his head. "Well, it wasn't Blair who was messing with us. It was just these two guys who have bothered Maka and me before in the past."

Wes arched an eyebrow at that as he thought over what that situation could mean. "What exactly did these guys do?"

Soul shrugged as he recalled what David and Victor had said. "They were trying to apologize for messing with us and attacking me, but they were just faking it more than likely."

Wes was curious to know how exactly these two guys had attacked Soul, but decided not to pry any further on that topic for now. "Did anything else strange happen?"

Soul scoffed and let out an aggravated sigh. "How many questions are you going to ask me?! Anyways, the only other odd thing that happened was that Maka and Tsubaki started acting tipsy and Black Star and I couldn't figure out why."

'Acting tipsy? I'm sure Blair has something to do with that, but I'll need more evidence to prove it though.' Wes thought to himself.

"Alright, I won't bug you with any more questions for now, but we'll need to speak again concerning Blair." Wes said, as he stepped away from the door. 'For now, I'm going to go try and get some information out of those two guys Soul was talking about. I don't think they've left the area just yet.'

Soul yawned and nodded his head absentmindedly. "Yeah, whatever. Just let me get some sleep now."

Soul closed back the door and returned back to the sofa to try and get comfortable. Outside, he could see the moon lighting up the sky and shining against some the nearby buildings.

"It's going to take me forever to get back to sleep now thanks to him." Soul mumbled drowsily to himself.

As Wes was leaving the hotel, he saw two men standing outside by the parking lot whispering to each other.

"I don't see the point in us loitering around here any longer. It's not like we can expect to see them come out anytime soon." Victor grumbled out with a yawn.

"I know, but I was just hoping we would see Blair around here again before the night ended and ask her to take a picture of them all depressed. Imagine what we could do if we had blackmail like that on them!" David mused aloud.

Wes arched an eyebrow at the mention of the name Blair and walked over to the two of them. "Sorry to bother you two, but did you just mention a girl named Blair?"

Victor turned to Wes and arched an eyebrow at him as he looked him up and down. "What's it to you if we did?"

Wes sighed as he realized this was going to be more difficult than he thought. "I think she was messing with my brother and his friends just for the fun of it and I feel like you two also played a role in it."

David laughed and let out a sneer. "So what if we all did? What are you going to do about it?"

Wes shrugged. "What's done is done. My brother and his friend will have to deal with their girlfriends on their own."

Victor and David shrugged as they nodded their heads in agreement and moved away from Wes before he eavesdropped anymore on them.

Wes watched as David and Victor walked further down the block and smirked as he pulled out his phone to play back recorded conversation they just had.

"I have the proof I needed; all that's left to do now is bait Blair into coming back here and get her to apologize for her actions." Wes murmured to himself.

~X~

Maka groaned as she put a hand to her head in an attempt to stop her throbbing headache. 'Where am I? And why do I have such a terrible migraine?'

After lying still for a few moments, Maka eventually got up and looked around the room for anything familiar.

"This isn't my room; it looks more like Soul's place." Maka whispered, as she gazed down at her clothes and realized she was still wearing the same thing she had worn yesterday.

'What the heck happened? I don't remember going to Soul's room. The last thing I can really recall clearly was eating dinner as a group, but everything after that is a blur.' Maka pondered, before stopping as she realized she was only making her headache even worse.

Maka slowly got off the bed and tried to smooth out her now crumpled dress and messy hair before looking for Soul. Maka blinked in confusion as she eventually found Soul sleeping on the sofa in an awkward position.

Maka frowned and lightly shook him on the shoulder to wake him up. Soul wearily opened his eyes and growled at being awakened again as he realized this time it was Maka.

"Soul, what's going on? Why did I wake up in your bed?" Maka asked nervously. 'I can't really recall anything from last night. Did we possibly sleep together?'

Soul only scoffed and turned back over on the coach. "You figure it out."

Maka huffed as she narrowed her emerald green eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Soul groaned as he finally sat up on the sofa. "You don't remember anything at all from last night, do you?" 'Not even the things you said involving Kid?'

Maka shook her head and rubbed her forehead in pain. "All I remember happening was that we ate dinner as a group, but it starts getting blurry soon after David and Victor were kicked out of the restaurant."

Soul sighed and frowned at Maka's recollection. The last thing he wanted to do right now was remind her of what she had told him and deal with that heartache all over again.

"Look, nothing happened between us. I think someone tainted yours and Tsubaki's drinks and we just let you spend the night in our rooms to make things easier." Soul explained.

Maka looked shocked as Soul finished explaining what occurred last night. "What, how come it only happened to Tsubaki and I?!"

Soul shrugged and got up from the sofa to head to the kitchen. "That's what we would like to know too." Soul grumbled quietly.

Maka followed Soul into the kitchen and frowned as she noticed he seemed to be ignoring her.

"Soul, is something wrong? It seems like something is distracting you." Maka asked in concern.

Soul shook his head and looked away from Maka's worried eyes. "I'm fine; I'm just a bit grumpy from being awakened so early."

Maka glanced at the nearby clock and saw it was only about 8:00 am. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was still so early in the morning."

Soul only nodded his head as he grabbed some juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass. Maka watched him gulp it down before Soul casted her a side glance in annoyance.

"There's no reason to stare at me. Shouldn't you head back to your room now?" Soul questioned.

Maka flinched slightly at Soul's cold behavior, but didn't back down. "What's your problem? I know I woke you up early, but something else is bothering you, isn't it?"

'It only makes sense that you still like Blair. After all, I'm still trying to get over Kid…' Maka's words still replayed in Soul's mind like a broken record.

"It's nothing; you don't need to worry about it." Soul grumbled.

Maka frowned and shook her head with a scoff. "Yes it is Soul; tell me what's causing you to suddenly start acting this way!"

Soul sighed as he set his glass down and fixed Maka with a glare. "You're still harboring feelings for Kid, aren't you?"

Maka's eyes widened in shock at Soul's question, but said nothing to deny it. "I still have some small feelings for him, but that relationship is in the past now."

Soul only shook his head as he set started to wash out his glass in the sink. "The point is, you still care for him and a part me wonders if you would rather be with him than me."

"Wait, where the hell is this all suddenly coming from?! You know I have feelings for you!" Maka snapped out in frustration.

Soul turned his crimson eyes back towards her and for a brief second, Maka could see how hurt and angry Soul was over this whole situation also.

Maka sighed shakily as she looked down and nervously twiddled with her fingers. "If you want Soul, we can take a break from each other for a few days."

Soul grimaced a bit at Maka's sad facial expression as he realized his accusations we're only causing them both pain. 'Though maybe not seeing each other for a few days would help us feel better.'

"Yeah, let's take a small break; there are things both of us need to clear our heads on I'm sure. Maybe we rushed into this relationship too fast knowing that we would only have the summer…" Soul trailed off.

Maka bit her lip and quietly nodded her head. "Well, I guess I'll see myself out then."

Soul watched as Maka quickly grabbed her sandals from his bedroom before walking back towards the door. "You know, I really like you Soul. I know it might not seem that way to you because I still like Kid a bit, but I enjoy the time I spend with you and it makes me care for you in ways I never felt towards Kid." Maka stated seriously, before closing the door behind her.

Soul frowned as his heart sped at Maka's words. 'Maybe calling things off so fast was a mistake…'

~X~

Black Star scowled as he realized Tsubaki still hadn't woken up yet when he came back into his bedroom around 10 am.

While a part of him simply wanted to just rudely shove her awake after what happened last night, another part of him couldn't help but smile slightly at how peaceful Tsubaki looked asleep.

Eventually, the sunlight seeping in from the curtains caused Tsubaki to stir and drearily open her eyes to look around.

"Hmm, Black Star is that you? What am I doing in your room?" Tsubaki asked sleepily, as she stretched her arms out.

The smile on Black Star's face slipped as memories of last night filled his thoughts. 'She called me Mifune. Even though she was possibly drunk, she called out for someone who wasn't me…'

"Is something wrong Black Star? It looks like something is troubling you." Tsubaki questioned, reaching out for him.

Black Star glowered and moved away from her touch by slapping her hand away. "Have you already forgotten what happened?"

Tsubaki pouted at Black Star's attitude and tried to remember what he was talking about, but only got a migraine trying to think back.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about to be honest." Tsubaki said after a while.

Black Star grunted as he leaned back against his dresser. "Does 'Don't stop Mifune' ring a bell?"

Tsubaki winched in alarm at the mention of Mifune. "How…do you know about him?" She managed to choke out.

Black Star rolled his eyes. "It's because you called out his name when I kissed you last night."

'What?! How could I forget doing something like that?' Tsubaki thought in horror.

An eerie silence fell over the room as Tsubaki tried to gather her thoughts together while Black Star gazed out the window.

"I…I'm sorry." Tsubaki finally whispered out.

Black Star turned back towards her and sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you been thinking about him every time we've kissed or gone out on a date? Did you wish it was him you were kissing and not me?"

Tsubaki immediately shook her head. "Of course not! He's just a guy from my past-"Tsubaki broke off with a sigh, realizing that even she didn't believe her own words.

"You don't sound too sure about that statement. You obviously still have feelings for this guy." Black Star mused solemnly.

Tsubaki sulked at how depressed and frustrated Black Star sounded. It was a far cry from his usual happy and arrogant demeanor that even managed to make her feel energized when she felt tired out.

"If you're still thinking about this guy, then we should take some time apart from each other." Black Star reasoned.

Tsubaki clutched the bed sheets of Black Star's bed tightly in her fingers as she tried to keep a straight face. "You do make a good point, if that's what you really want."

Black Star only nodded his head. "It would be good for the both of us."

Tsubaki sighed and stood up from his bed to properly face him. "Okay then, I guess I'll see you around in a few days then, maybe." As Tsubaki finished her sentence, she leaned over and gave Black Star one last gentle kiss on his cheek.

"I'm sorry things happened this way, but I think you should at least know that I was only thinking about you when we went on those dates together. You've made me really happy and I hope we can still have moments together after this." Tsubaki murmured out, before leaving his room.

Black Star gazed at his closed door for a minute before growling and slamming his fist against his dresser.

"Damn it, I may have made you happy Tsubaki, but I didn't make you happy the way he did…" He hissed to himself.

~X~

Blair hummed happily to herself as she returned back from the hotel's spa and entered into her room. "Hmm, maybe I should order some room service or better yet, I should call Wes and see if he wants to eat lunch!" Blair thought to herself cheerfully.

Blair pulled out her phone and dialed Wes's number and waited a few minutes until she heard him pick up.

"Hello?" Wes answered tiredly.

"Hey Wes; why do you sound sleepy? It's almost noon now." Blair asked.

Blair heard Wes groan into the phone before he spoke up again. "I've been looking into where you went last night."

Blair arched an eyebrow at that as she adjusted her phone closer to her ear. "What do you mean Wes? I've been in the hotel this whole time."

"Don't lie to me; the receptionist saw you leave the hotel and I know you caused problems for both Soul and Black Star by messing with their girlfriends." Wes snapped out.

Blair scoffed and lazily gazed at her nails. "Oh really, and where's your proof that I did anything to those two?"

"Your friends David and Victor mentioned you. I just need a bit more information to find out what you truly did." Wes replied back smoothly before hanging up. 'I'm sure Blair is going to head over to the hotel again soon to confront those two. I should probably go also to make sure nothing too serious happens to her either…'

Blair huffed at being hung up on as she mulled over her situation. 'There's no way Wes will be able to find out the full truth of what I did to those two, but how did he even find out about David and Victor? Oh well, it's no big deal if they brought only my name up.'

Blair sighed as she leaned back into her bed and tried to relax, but the thought of Wes snooping around underneath her nose made her troubled and anxious.

"Ah, I guess there's no harm in me checking to make sure those guys didn't give away too much information about me." Blair grumbled to herself, as she got out of bed and changed into a light green striped polo shirt with tan shorts.

Once Blair was back at the Hotel Arts again, she saw David and Victor sneaking around the area as usual.

"What are you guys still doing here? I thought you would be happy with the revenge you already got." Blair asked.

Victor and David glanced at her and smirked. "Well of course we're happy that all of them are probably miserable right now, but we wanted to see if you could get photos of them all mopey to truly seal the deal."

Blair scoffed and turned away from them. "I'm not your servant! All I came here to ask about was if you two had said too much to Wes about my involvement, but I guess you haven't judging from what you just told me."

Victor and David narrowed their eyes before David reached out and grabbed Blair by the wrist before she could walk away.

"Let go of me, I don't have time to mess with you two anymore!" Blair hissed out.

Victor only grinned as pulled out a pocket knife and held it to her neck. "Oh I'm sorry, did you think we were asking for your opinion in whether or not you wanted to get those photos?"

Blair froze up as she gazed at the knife to her neck before scowling as she dared to spit at David's face in anger.

Victor growled and pressed the knife even closer to her neck, causing a small trickle of blood to leak out. "You must want to piss us off to do such a stupid thing like that."

Blair only laughed haughtily and tried to calm herself down in order to not let them see her fear. "And what are you going to do if I don't follow to your commands?"

David gave Victor a look as he smirked while Victor nodded his head in return. "Well, you are a pretty girl who likes to flaunt her body and looks to others. It would be a shame if your beauty became tarnished in anyway…"

~X~

"So, he wanted to take a break from you too?" Maka asked Tsubaki tiredly. The two of them were now both idly lounging in Maka's room in their pajamas after the events that had occurred earlier.

Tsubaki gloomily nodded her head. "Can you remember anything in particular that you said to Soul that upset him?"

Maka shook her head. "All I know is that I must have brought up Kid at some point because Soul assumed I would want to be with him if he was still around."

"Would you rather be with him Maka? You can be honest with me." Tsubaki softly asked her.

Maka said nothing for a few minutes as she deeply inhaled and exhaled before eventually shaking her head.

"A few weeks ago, I probably would have said yes to that question Tsubaki, but the feelings I have for Kid now aren't the same as they used to be. Kid is my first love, so of course he will always hold a special place in my heart, but Soul makes me feel different in a way that's hard to describe. Maybe it's his sarcastic jokes that always make me laugh or the fact that behind all his teasing I know he really cares for me." Maka mused with a blush.

Tsubaki smiled warmly at Maka's explanation. "It's hard for me to put into words how I feel towards Black Star also, but at least I feel like it will be easier for you to make up with Soul than it will be for me."

Maka arched an eyebrow and sat up from her position on the sofa. "What do you mean? We still have time to make up with them."

Tsubaki only shook her head and sighed. "Apparently, I was so out of it that I kissed Black Star, but called him Mifune."

Maka gasped as Tsubaki nodded her head wistfully. "Ouch. I guess it is going to be hard for you to reconcile with him."

"I didn't mean to call him Mifune. It's just sometimes Black Star reminds me of him. Not really in terms of their personality, but in their interests. Both Mifune and Black Star work out and have practiced with swords before." Tsubaki explained.

Maka nodded her head in understanding. "Black Star probably won't forgive you until you tell him the truth about Mifune and Angela though."

Tsubaki frowned and nervously looked away. "I never thought I would have to tell him about it until we got back home, but you're right. He should know the truth and know that I care about him sincerely."

Maka smiled and silently agreed before sighing. "What should we do now to past the time? I never really realized it, but most of the stuff we've been doing lately involved Soul and Black Star being with us."

Tsubaki perked up a bit and grabbed the remote to start flipping through channels by the nearby television. "Well, were in our pajamas and it's like 2 in the afternoon. I say we just be lazy the rest of the day and watch some movies to distract ourselves from missing them!"

Maka laughed at Tsubaki's enthusiasm and brightened up slightly also as she got off the sofa to head towards the kitchen. "I'll get the ice cream and popcorn!"

~X~

Wes frowned as his phone buzzed for what seemed like the 10th time. He knew all of the messages were coming from Blair, but he couldn't find where she was at.

Supposedly from what her messages said, Blair had come back to the Hotel Arts just as he had suspected she would, but she wouldn't go into any more details beyond the fact that she wanted him to come pick her up as soon as possible.

Wes sighed and looked around the parking lot for any sign of the purple haired girl, but found nothing. 'I wonder if this is just another joke she's trying to pull…' Wes thought with a huff.

Wes was about to turn around and leave when he heard someone whispering to him from the bushes. Wes gazed at the bush in confusion and moved a bit closer to inspect it, but nearly jumped back in shock when he realized the person trying to get his attention was Blair.

"Blair, is that you? What happened?! Wes asked in surprise.

Blair let out a whine and rapidly covered Wes's mouth before it got any louder. "Shh! Keep your voice down! I don't want people to see me looking like this!"

Even though Blair was hiding in the shadows of the bushes and trees, Wes could clearly make out that her face and arms were puffy and covered with patches of red blisters.

"How did you get a rash like that?" Wes questioned.

Blair sighed and quivered slightly as she wiped away a few tears from her cheeks. "Victor and David covered me with poison ivy when I refused to take pictures of your brother and his friends all depressed. They even had the nerve to take pictures of me and threaten to spread them all over the internet!"

Wes rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Why didn't you go to the police after this happened? They could have at least arrested them this time for good."

Blair shook her head and tried to step deeper into the shadows. "And let people see how ugly I look with my clothes and face all messed up like this?! No way!"

Wes rolled his eyes at Blair's immaturity for not handling the situation properly and looked around to make sure nobody was currently nearby.

"Okay, listen up. We're going to go the police and report what happened to you so that David and Victor can go to jail for good this time and stop bothering Soul and his friends. And after that, you're going to go to Soul and Black Star and personally apologize to them." Wes stated calmly.

Blair snorted and shook her head. "I'll go with you to the police, but I don't want to apologize looking like this."

Wes glared at Blair and pulled out his phone to play the recording from earlier. "Alright then, so I guess it would be okay for me to tell the police then that you played a part in drugging Maka and Tsubaki also so you can get in trouble along with them, right?

Blair frowned as she finished listening to the recording and squirmed uncomfortably. "Fine, let's just get this over with."

~X~

"Damn, I already miss being around them and it's only been a few hours." Black Star cursed out, as he did some push-ups in Soul's living room while Soul watched TV in boredom next to him.

"Yeah well, it's not us they want to be around. They've only been using us to try and get over their Exes that they still have feelings for." Soul griped out.

Black Star scowled as he sat up from doing his push-ups. "It's not like you haven't been kind of doing the same thing in terms of trying to get over Blair."

Soul sighed and nodded his head grudgingly. "Still, I guess I never thought I was going to take any relationship I got into this seriously."

Black Star grinned and stretched his arms out behind his head. "That's because you fell for Maka hard man! I bet you secretly get turned on when she hits you with her books!"

Soul scowled and blushed slightly as he tossed a pillow at Black Star's head. "Shut up. You're just as into Tsubaki if you went through the trouble to impress her all the time!"

Black Star sighed at the mention of Tsubaki and turned away. "I don't want to be with a girl who mistakes me for her ex, even if she was under the influence of something."

Soul said nothing back as a silence permeated the air before he spoke up again. "You should at least let her explain herself before you go calling things off for good. We just need a few days to cool off."

Black Star grumbled a bit under his breathe and was about to speak up again when they both heard a knocking at the door.

"Do you think that's them?" Black Star suddenly questioned in alarm.

Soul sat up a bit straighter and shook his head. 'I know we didn't really want to take a break from each other, but it's only been a couple of hours…did they really miss us that much?'

Soul walked over to the door and groaned as he saw who it was. "Why does my brother keep bothering me?"

"It's your brother? What does he want?" Black Star asked, sitting up as he wiped some sweat off his sleeveless blue shirt.

Soul shrugged and reluctantly opened the door and was surprised when he saw not only Wes there, but Blair trying to hide behind him.

"What the hell is going on now?" Soul demanded.

Wes said nothing back and moved aside to allow Blair to speak. Soul gaped at Blair's swollen face and resisted the urge to laugh.

Black Star came up beside Soul and grinned at Blair's appearance. "Whoa, what the hell happened to your face; it's completely swollen!"

Blair growled and blushed at Black Star's teasing. "Shut up! I just came here to apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Soul questioned sharply.

Blair pouted and looked back to Wes, but he only scowled and nodded at her to continue. "The other night when David and Victor interrupted your dinner, I played in a role in why Maka and Tsubaki started acting so strange. I tainted their drinks with a drug that makes people relax and act drunk."

Soul and Black Star gave each other stunned looks before turning back to glare at Blair. "You bitch, what if they were seriously injured by that!" Black Star snapped out furiously.

Blair flinched at Black Star's anger and looked down sorrowfully. "I know what I did was wrong, I just wanted to mess around with you all a bit and it got out of hand."

"Ugh, just get out of our site. The next time you try to mess with any of us, we'll make sure a simple rash isn't the only thing you get." Soul stated coldly.

Blair quickly nodded her head and rushed back down the hallway before anyone else could possibly see her.

Wes sighed and smiled a bit as everything seemed to be cleared up now.

"How did you find out what she did?" Soul asked him.

"I recorded a conversation I had with David and Victor and they mentioned she played a part in it." Wes replied back easily.

Soul sighed and rubbed a hand behind his forehead. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble for us, but thank you."

Wes shook his head and shrugged. "It's fine. Blair will have to take some medicine to decrease the swelling and will probably hide away for the rest of the time that we're here. The police have already handled David and Victor as well."

Soul smirked and nodded his head as he held his hand out. Wes stared at it for a moment before realizing what Soul wanted and shook his hand in return with a grin.

"I'm sorry for all the problems I've caused you. I hope we can at least start things off better when we get back home. I only have about 3 days left here." Wes said.

Soul shrugged, but nodded his head. "Just make sure Blair stays away from us."

"Well, I think your Blair issue is over with for now. You still need to clear the air with Maka and Tsubaki I'm sure." Wes stated.

Soul and Black Star sighed at that. "That's a whole other problem to deal with." Soul grumbled quietly.

Wes was about to speak up again when they suddenly all heard Blair yelling down the hallway for him to hurry up.

Wes scoffed and waved her off before turning back to his brother. "Don't let whatever happened get to you guys. I know you're relationships with them are more important to you than just simple summer flings."

Soul and Black Star watched as Wes gave them one last smile before he left down the hallway with Blair.

"So, what do you think of what he said involving the girls?" Black Star asked, as he leaned against the door.

Soul grunted and brushed a hand through his hair. "We may miss being around them, but let's give it a bit more time before we go rushing back to them. It wouldn't look cool if we seemed desperate."

Black Star grinned and nodded his head at that as they both walked back into the room. "I wonder if they even miss us as much as we miss them…"

~x~

That's it for Chapter 15! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	16. Let's Reconcile

Chapter 16: Let's Reconcile

Maka and Tsubaki were casually eating breakfast together when Maka's phone buzzed next to her.

"Who would be calling you at this time in the morning?" Tsubaki asked curiously.

Maka shrugged and glanced at the caller ID to see it was Marie. "Oh, it's Marie. I guess she found another activity for us to do as a group."

Tsubaki sighed across from her and calmly took a sip from her juice. "Marie doesn't even know that we haven't hung out with the guys in like over a week, does she?"

Maka shook her head and warily answered the call to be greeted with Marie's cheerful voice.

"Hi Maka! I feel like it's been awhile since our last big excursion, so would you, Tsubaki, and the guys consider taking a trip to Madrid?" Marie chirped out happily.

"While that does sound nice Marie, we actually haven't hung out with the guys in over a week. So it would just be Tsubaki and I going." Maka replied.

Marie gasped into the phone before quickly speaking up again. "What?! You guys broke up with them?"

"Actually, they wanted to take a break from us." Maka said awkwardly.

Marie said nothing for a few moments before speaking up again. "I'm assuming that the reasons behind that must be a long story that I want to hear. You two should still come; we can make it a girl's only outing!"

"Okay; I'll tell Tsubaki then." Maka stated before hanging up.

"So, what does she have planned?" Tsubaki questioned.

"She wants to take us on an outing to Madrid. I told her the guys wouldn't be coming, but she still wants us to go. What do you think?" Maka explained.

Tsubaki shrugged as she collected all her trash onto her plate. "It sounds like a good idea to me. We haven't traveled very far from the hotel in these past few days anyways."

Maka nodded her head in agreement as they both threw their trash away and went to get ready and meet Marie in the parking lot as typical.

"Hey ladies! I decided to change things up today with us taking the train instead of going by car since I think it would save time." Marie said gleefully.

Maka and Tsubaki glanced at each other before shrugging and letting her lead the way to the train station.

"How long will it take for us to get there?" Maka asked aloud.

"It should take maybe between 2 to 3 hours, which will give us plenty of time to discuss what's been happening lately between you and the guys. Besides that, I figure it would be nice for you guys to do some shopping, take some photos of the monuments, and maybe check out one show or two." Marie reasoned, as she handed them their tickets for boarding.

Maka and Tsubaki smiled as they eventually entered into the train and took in the interior. All of the seats were a dark navy blue color with plush seating and tan tray tables in front of them. As the train started to head out, they took in the view of the lush green countryside pastures speeding by them.

"Do you guys like it? I got us seats in the premier class!" Marie exclaimed happily.

Maka and Tsubaki nodded their heads and leaned back comfortably into their chairs as Marie took a seat across from them.

"Alright, so tell me; what caused the sudden break up? I didn't sense any tension between you guys the last time we met up." Marie asked curiously.

Maka sighed and twirled one of her pigtails in her hair. "It's kind of hard to explain. Someone drugged mine and Tsubaki's drinks and we ended up telling them we still have feelings for our Exes."

Marie frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I can see why they got mad about that. Do you even know who drugged you in the first place?"

Maka shook her head as she angrily balled her fists up. "We have a feeling David and Victor might have something to do with it, but we don't have any proof that it was them. Blair is on our list of possible suspects as well."

"Did you try to confront those guys or possibly even Blair?" Marie questioned in interest.

Maka and Tsubaki shook their heads. "We would like to, but we haven't really seen any of them since that night. Its possible Soul and Black Star might know something; though they've pretty much ignored us every time we passed by them in the halls on account of the incident."

"We weren't trying to hurt their feelings. It's just that, Maka and I didn't plan or expect to be in any serious relationship for the long term. We both really do miss hanging out with them." Tsubaki suddenly piped up.

Marie took in Maka and Tsubaki's forlorn expressions and abruptly snapped her fingers as a thought came back to her.

"You know, your relationships kind of remind me of how things were between Stein and me before we got together."

Maka leaned her elbows against the tray table to listen. "How so?"

Marie hummed and gazed out the window before turning back to the two of them. "Before I was with Stein, I used to date a man named Joe. He was very intelligent and we kind of had an off and on relationship that seemed to be heading back to us getting together permanently…"

"What happened to him?" Tsubaki murmured out softly.

Marie sighed and closed her eyes before opening them back up again. "Joe worked as an agent, so many of his cases involved him going on undercover missions to track down criminals for long periods of time. I never really got the full answer or details as to what happened to him, but I was told that he had been apparently killed by a mole within his company."

'So he was killed just like Mifune was, but Marie in time did find a new love. I'm sure the same can happen with Black Star and me possibly…' Tsubaki thought with a sniff.

Marie noticed the tears simmering in Tsubaki's eyes and tried to brighten up the situation. "Oh, please don't cry; I didn't mean to make you guys feel even more depressed! Anyways, this story does have a happy ending. Though it took me months to really properly get over Joe, when I started doing my teaching internship in Death City, I was introduced to Stein by Spirit and learned to love him."

"Did you ever have to deal with any of Stein's exes?" Maka asked, thinking of the whole Blair and Wes fiasco irritably.

Marie scowled and nodded her head. "There was this one woman who liked to hang around him a lot named Medusa. They both were into creepy things like dissections and studying the human body. I remember in particular that she had a deep fascination with snakes and tried to get Stein to follow her into doing some illegal activities."

"Whatever ended up happening to her?" Maka questioned in interest.

Marie grinned and calmly clasped her fingers together. "Her luck ran out when she tried to plant some bombs in the major centers of the city; it's a good thing she was fortunately arrested when Stein found out about the plan before she could put it into action."

Maka and Tsubaki sighed in relief at that as a peaceful silence enveloped them all.

"I know it may be difficult and even uncomfortable for you two to try talk to the guys again, but trust me, don't let your stubbornness or uncertainties get to you." Marie spoke up with a smile.

'She does make a good point, but it's so easy to fall back into old habits of just arguing with Soul, especially knowing how we ended things.' Maka mused.

~X~

"Hah, that's the fifth time I've beaten you! Are you even trying anymore?" Black Star asked haughtily, as he played a video game with Soul.

Soul scoffed and threw his controller on the ground. "I'm sick of spending all our time just playing video games!"

Black Star snorted as he watched Soul get up and walk into the kitchen to get a snack. "You're just upset that you can't beat a God like me! It's nothing to be a sore loser about."

"Yeah, because that's honestly what I'm frustrated about." Soul said with a roll of his eyes, as he munched on a bag of chips.

Black Star shrugged and went into the kitchen also to find a snack as well. "What do you suggest we do then?"

Soul sighed and shook his head. He honestly wasn't sure what they could do to past the time really.

"I'm thinking of going into the town to just change things up and stop wasting all my time here; what about you?" Soul asked.

"You go on ahead without me, I'm going to try and see if I can beat my high score." Black Star replied back.

Soul was about to retort that he had already beaten his high score days ago, but Black Star had already walked back over to the sofa and un-paused the game.

'I guess if this takes his mind off of Tsubaki, then I won't stop him. Still, all he's been doing these past few days when he's not sleeping or eating is just work out and play video games…' Soul mused.

Soul left Black Star to his game as he left his room to go to his own and change into a simple black polo shirt and jeans.

"Where should I even go anyways? Most of the places in Barcelona I've already been to at least once already." Soul grumbled to himself, as he drove around on the city absentmindedly.

Eventually, Soul just decided to head over to the shopping center even though he disliked shopping. Before his brother had left back for home, he had shown him a watch he had bought in one of the stores and he wanted to buy one similar to it.

Soul trudged around the different boutiques with a sigh until he finally came across the store he was looking for: Rabat Joyeria y Relojeria

Soul walked into the store and was quickly greeted by an employee. "Hello sir, how can I help you?"

Soul pulled out the scrap piece of paper he had written the watch's name on from his pocket. "I'm just looking for the Tissot classic watch."

"Oh okay I'll bring it right out to you, but in the meantime, feel free to browse through our other selections since we just got in some new shipments." The employee stated, as he walked into the backroom.

Soul internally scoffed at the man's attempt to get him to buy more things than necessary and instead leaned casually against the glass case in boredom until something gleaming caught his eye.

Soul peered over at the shelf and realized it was a necklace that had gotten his attention. Upon closer inspection, Soul noticed that the necklace was light green and in a teardrop shape. 'I wonder if Maka would like that.' Soul pondered before shaking the thought away with a groan. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about her.

"Are you trying to get that necklace for your sweetheart? I can offer you a good deal on it." The employee said, suddenly popping up behind Soul again.

Soul blinked in confusion before scowling. "All I need is the watch."

"Are you sure you don't want it? I can offer you a package deal for it along with the watch if you want." The man continued on enticingly.

Soul raised a brow as he tapped his fingers impatiently along the case. "Oh yeah, how good of a deal are we talking?"

The man pulled out a calculator and typed some numbers into it. "Well, since you are our first real customer of the day, how about I give you both for say 150 Euro."

Soul pulled out his phone to do the conversion from Euro to Dollar and grimaced. 'That's nearly 200 dollars. Do I really want to pay that much, even if I am getting two items out of it?'

"I'll consider it if you lower it to like 125 Euro." Soul finally said with a grin.

The man bit his lip in uneasiness as he thought over the price. "I'm not actually sure I can lower the price that much sir I-"

"Well, I guess I can take my business elsewhere then." Soul cut him off smoothly, as he turned around and prepared to leave.

"Okay, hold on; how about at least 130 Euro, would that be alright with you?" The man cried out.

'I didn't think it would be that easy to bargain with people.' Soul thought with a smirk, as he turned back around.

"Yeah, I guess I can live with that." Soul reasoned, as he paid for the items and left the store.

'Even though I was able to get a small chunk of the price off of these items, I wonder if it was even worth it. I still haven't even talked to Maka since we took a break…' Soul considered with a sigh, as he returned back to the hotel and set the watch and necklace down on his bed.

Soul lied back against his bed and pulled out his phone to check the time and text Black Star. He had apparently only been gone for about an hour and half with it only being half past noon now.

"Hey Man, what have you been doing since I've been gone?" Soul texted to Black Star; it only took a few minutes for Soul to get a reply back.

"Same old stuff except now I'm doing some curl-ups and push-ups in the fitness center." Black Star replied back.

Soul glanced over the message before grunting and tossing his phone to side. There was no way either of them could continue spending the rest of their summer vacation acting like this.

~X~

"How did you two like the musical performance?" Marie asked Maka and Tsubaki as they all left the theater.

"I thought it was good. It was my first time seeing Les Miserables in musical form." Maka said excitedly.

"Gran Via has so much to offer. It's no wonder you said it's also known as the Spanish Broadway." Tsubaki expressed out in awe, as she took in the busy city streets and the modern architecture.

"Would you guys like to eat lunch now? We can go eat at Casa de Campo Park." Marie suggested.

Maka and Tsubaki nodded their heads and followed Marie to a nearby food stand that was selling sandwiches.

"Ooh, you two should try the fried calamari sandwiches; it's a popular food item here in Madrid!" Marie mentioned, as she ordered one for herself.

Maka squirmed uncomfortably at the thought of eating that, but Tsubaki looked more willing to try it.

"It's actually not that bad Maka, though I would prefer to just drink it with some water instead of the beer it comes with." Tsubaki stated, as she finished taking a bite.

"That's okay; this Spanish omelet I'm having tastes pretty good also." Maka replied back.

"The park is this way you two; we can carry our food with us." Marie said, starting to walk ahead of them.

Once they were all situated under the shade of a tree, Maka and Tsubaki gazed at the scenes happening around the park in amusement.

"Wow, this might be the biggest park we've been to yet. There's even a zoo in here!" Maka expressed in admiration, as they saw some stray squirrels and rabbits scurry through some bushes.

"If you look up, you can even see they have some cable cars that can take you to the amusement park." Tsubaki mentioned, as she snapped a photo with her phone.

"That's the teleferico Tsubaki and yes, this park is quite huge. I'm pretty sure it would take over a day to actually properly see everything." Marie explained.

"Do you want to explore around this area for a bit Tsubaki?" Maka asked, nudging her slightly on her shoulder.

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head. "While it does look like there is plenty of things to do here, I feel like we've already done similar stuff like this back in Barcelona."

Maka quietly agreed as she leaned her head back against the tree. "Well, it's a quarter to 2 now; let's at least get some shopping done while we're here."

Tsubaki grinned at that as they both turned back to Marie who had gotten up to go feed some ducks in the nearby lake.

"Is it okay if we do some shopping now before we head back?" Maka asked, coming up to her.

Marie turned towards her and pushed a stray blonde hair away from her face with a smile. "Of course; that was one of the reasons we came here in the first place! I'll take you guys to some of my favorite stores!"

Marie led them back into the shopping district and took them through a mix of international stores. Tsubaki bought herself a new purse and some shirts and dresses for Angela while Maka bought some new bands for her pigtails, a book on Madrid's history, and a new pair of gloves.

"You two look tired out, are you ready to head back to the hotel?" Marie inquired, when she noticed that the two of them were both tiredly leaning against each other on a bench.

Maka and Tsubaki nodded their heads drowsily as they trudged back to the train station and slept on the whole ride back to Barcelona.

Marie watched the pair sleep with a smile before turning to look back out the window. 'We should arrive back in Barcelona a little past 4 pm. They should have plenty of time to rest and possibly make up with the guys…'

~X~

Black Star yawned as he finished wiping off his face from the shower he had just took and glanced at his bedroom clock to check the time.

'Damn, it's already 5 pm! It didn't feel like time went by that fast!' He thought with a huff, as he tossed his towel to the side.

Black Star lied back against his bed and sighed as he thought of things he could do. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had grown bored of playing the same video games over and over again.

"I guess I can go get something to eat. I'm pretty sure one of those restaurants has to be open right now." Black Star grumbled, as he got up from his bed and changed into red sleeveless top and black athletic shorts.

Black Star walked over to the Bites restaurant and ordered a to-go box of chicken wings and a soda.

'I rather as well just eat and walk this off instead of going back to my room and doing nothing again.' Black Star mused to himself, as he left out of the restaurant and started to stroll along the boardwalk that connected to the beach.

Black Star had only been walking for a few minutes when he noticed another person actually walking against the sandy shore alone. Upon closer inspection though, Black Star realized that it was Tsubaki.

'Hmm, Tsubaki's out there alone walking along the beach. I guess she hasn't found another guy to keep her company then…' Black Star pondered with a sneer.

Black Star watched as Tsubaki idly gazed at the sunset before she started walking again only for her to suddenly pause and gaze down at her feet in panic.

Black Star arched an eyebrow at Tsubaki's odd behavior before he realized that she was possibly injured. Black Star scowled for a moment, wondering if he should even go over to her before he made up his mind and went to see what was wrong.

"What happened? Did you scrape your foot against something?" Black Star yelled out from behind her.

Tsubaki flinched in surprise as she turned around to face Black Star in shock. "Um no, I'm fine."

Black Star narrowed his eyes and glanced down at the heel of her foot and noticed it was bleeding. "Yeah right, your foot has blood coming out of it."

Tsubaki only smiled weakly and shook her head. "I'm okay really. I just accidently brushed my foot against a sea urchin."

Black Star frowned before sighing and turning around and bending down. "Alright then, I guess it can't be helped. I'll give you a piggyback ride back to your room."

Tsubaki blushed slightly and stepped back. "You really don't need to do that Black Star. I'll be fine, trust me."

"I wasn't asking you; I'm telling you." Black Star retorted back, as he reached out and grabbed her by the hand.

Tsubaki sighed and reluctantly got onto Black Star's back and allowed him to carry her back to her room. Once they we were back in her room, Tsubaki managed to hobble over to her bed and sit down.

Tsubaki nervously glanced back up and noticed Black Star was still nearby, casually leaning against her doorway and staring at her now swollen foot.

"I can handle things from here. You don't have to hang around here any longer." Tsubaki managed to grumble out, as she tried to calm her nerves. 'And it's only going to just make things even more awkward between us.'

Black Star only laughed and shook his head as he got off the door and walked over to her. "I'm not that heartless enough to just leave you here alone when you're wounded like that."

Tsubaki scowled slightly as she took off her sandals to get a better look at her foot before looking back up at him. "Black Star, I know you're still mad at me. You don't need to force yourself to help me or be around me when I know you would rather be elsewhere; I can take care of myself you know."

"Who said I didn't want to help you or be around you?" Black Star questioned.

Tsubaki blinked in bewilderment and wondered for a moment if Black Star was just messing with her. "You did. We're taking a break from each other, remember?"

Black Star only sighed and pulled up a chair to sit across from her. "Yeah we are, but I'm getting tired of pretending I don't miss you, aren't you?"

Tsubaki let out a gasp as she felt her cheeks start to heat up. "You don't really mean that."

Black Star smirked at Tsubaki's blush as he continued on. "Oh, but I do and I'm not going to leave you alone, so tell me what I need to do to get those thorns out!"

Tsubaki blushed even more at Black Star's statement as she sighed and pointed towards the bathroom and the kitchen. "We'll need some warm water, tweezers, and some vinegar."

Black Star nodded his head and went to get the materials before returning back towards her. It took about an hour for Black Star to carefully remove the thorns and have her foot properly wrapped up after soaking it in the vinegar and warm water.

"Are you going to be okay?" Black Star asked her, as he noticed Tsubaki was still wincing in pain.

"I'll be alright; I just took some Tylenol, so it will take a while for its effects to kick in to help stop the pain." Tsubaki replied back.

Black Star grinned and carefully moved Tsubaki's foot back down before gazing back at her. "You need me to keep you company for the rest of the night to help distract you from the pain?" He asked suggestively.

"Do you really want to? I mean considering what happened last time when I brought up Mif-"

"Don't say his name! We can deal with that issue at another time, but for now, tonight the only name you'll be crying out is mine!" Black Star cut her off with an arrogant smirk.

Tsubaki flushed before laughing lightly at Black Star's implications and scooting over on the bed which Black Star took as a yes. 'Black Star and I still have many things we need to discuss with each other, but I guess we'll be okay if we just take it one step at a time.' Tsubaki thought to herself, as she watched Black Star grab a pillow and crawl into bed next to her.

~X~

"Oh Tsubaki, why aren't you answering your phone?" Maka grumbled with a huff, as she returned her phone back to her pocket and looked around. Before they had left for their rooms, Tsubaki had mentioned that they should meet up for dinner around 6:30 pm.

'It's possible Tsubaki could still be sleeping. We both were pretty tired out on that train ride home after all…' Maka mused.

Maka sighed and gave a quick glance at her watch and saw it was about 7 pm now; it was more tempting now to simply just order in some room service rather than eat dinner alone or continue standing outside the restaurant by herself.

"Are you going to go in or just stand outside the restaurant all night?" Soul asked, walking up beside her.

Maka narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed. "And why would you care?"

Soul shrugged and pointed behind them. "Well, you probably didn't notice, but you're holding up the line for people who actually do want to go in and aren't waiting around on others."

Maka looked behind them and blushed slightly in embarrassment as she realized Soul was right and quickly moved out of line to let the small group of people go in.

Maka scowled and turned back towards Soul. "How long did you know see those people standing there?!"

Soul only snickered. "About 10 minutes. I thought you would notice them before I had to point it out to you."

Maka sighed and felt the urge to hit Soul for teasing her before she recalled that they were supposed to be taking a break from each other.

"Why are you even here? I thought you would be trying to avoid me." Maka asked.

"I'm just looking for Black Star; I haven't seen him around since early this afternoon." Soul replied back.

Both Maka and Soul thought it over for a few minutes before they both came to the same conclusion: Black Star and Tsubaki must be together.

'Dang it Tsubaki, I thought we we're going to at least talk it over with each other first how we would explain ourselves to the guys!' Maka thought with a huff.

"Black Star and Tsubaki are both adults; they can do whatever they want on their own." Soul stated, seeming to have read Maka's thoughts.

Maka pouted and nodded her head with a sigh. "I'm going to go back to my room. There's no point in me just hanging around here."

Soul watched her turn around to leave before reaching out and grabbing her hand. Maka frowned and gave him a side glance in confusion.

"Let's go eat in my room." Soul said simply.

"Are you sure that's a good idea since we're supposed to be taking a break from each other? I may end up hitting you over one of your snarky comments." Maka mused with a smirk.

Soul only smirked back and gripped her hand a bit tighter. "I'll take my chances."

Maka smiled as she gazed around Soul's living room before taking a seat on the couch. "You know, I never really paid much attention to it until now, but you keep this place pretty clean."

Soul walked back out of his bedroom and scoffed. "It shouldn't be that surprising that I know how to pick up after myself."

Maka shrugged and peered out the window to gaze at the final moments of the sunset. "How long did they say it would take them?"

"About an hour or two; I did call them at one of their busier times." Soul replied.

Maka nodded her head and decided to flip through the channels lazily while Soul sat down next to her and silently contemplated whether or not he should wait on giving the necklace to her.

Eventually, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts as Soul got up and accepted the plates of food from the bellboy and paid for the bill.

"What exactly did you order?" Soul asked, glancing over the items.

"I only ordered some Tapas with rice and a cheesecake for dessert." Maka replied back, as she picked up some of the plates and took them to the kitchen table.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Maka continued on.

Soul doubled checked everything before nodding his head. "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure."

The two of them ate silently together before Maka spoke up again. "You didn't need to pay for both of our meals."

Soul swallowed the bite from his burger and shrugged. "It's done now, unless you want me to go get the bellboy back and tell him you want to pay for your own meal."

Maka rolled her eyes and shook her head as she finished up her meal. "Well, thank you for paying for all the food." 'It's best I don't overstay my welcome. I don't want to create any more tension or problems between us…'

Soul grinned and nodded his head as he noticed Maka was getting up to leave. "Hold on Maka; there's something I need to give you."

Maka frowned and watched as Soul got up from his seat and went to his bedroom before coming out and tossing something at her.

"What's this for?" Maka asked in confusion, as she gazed at the necklace in surprise and awe.

Soul rubbed a hand behind his head and blushed slightly. "I was buying a watch earlier and the one of the employees convinced me into getting a package price with it; it's no big deal."

"Ah, but it looks so expensive; I can't accept this when I haven't even gotten you anything!" Maka cried out, trying to shove it back into Soul's hands.

Soul only shook his head and gently gave it back to her. "Maka, I can spend my money whichever way I want to and I bought it for you."

"But aren't you still mad about the whole Kid situation? I don't understand why you would want to spend money on me?" Maka questioned.

Soul scowled at the mention of Kid before sighing. "Holding a grudge isn't cool; I know there are still things we need to discuss with each other in time and accept our pasts."

Maka blushed and gazed back at the necklace once more before looking back up at him. "Um, would it be okay if you put it on me at least?"

Soul nodded his head and lightly pushed Maka's pigtails aside to put on the necklace. Maka beamed and walked over to a mirror to see how it looked. 'I haven't worn a necklace since the one Kid got me. I never thought I would be comfortable really wearing another one…'

Soul walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as they both stared at each other in the mirror. "It looks good on you."

Maka sighed contently and turned around to face him. "I missed spending time with you Soul, even if you are an annoying jerk."

Soul grinned smugly and gently rubbed a hand against her cheek. "Yeah well, I missed spending time with you too, even though you can be such a know-it-all bookworm sometimes. "

Maka laughed and lightly shoved him back playfully. "How much did you miss me?"

Soul smirked and showed off his razor sharp teeth before surprising her and picking her up bridal style. "Rather than tell you, why don't I just show you?"

~x~

That's it for Chapter 16! Let me know what you think with a review and as always, thank you for reading!


	17. Our Days Together

Chapter 17: Our Days Together

'Why does it seem like my pillow is breathing?' Maka thought drowsily to herself, as she wearily opened her eyes and gazed around the room.

Once Maka's eyes adjusted to where she was, she realized that the 'pillow' that she had been using was actually just Soul's bare chest. Maka felt her cheeks redden as she tried to scoot away from him, but Soul loosely wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back in before she could get too far.

Maka frowned slightly and glanced up at Soul's face to see if he was possibly still sleeping and instead saw that his blood red eyes were peering at her in a mix of sleepiness and curiosity.

"Were you going back to your room already?" Soul asked; his voice slightly rougher from just being awakened by her moving around.

Maka shook her head and stifled her urge to yawn. "I was just getting off your chest because I had been sleeping on it."

Even in the darkness of the room, Maka could see Soul smirk as she felt him wrap his arms a bit tighter around her waist. "You didn't have any problems snuggling up to me just a few hours ago though, did you?"

Maka huffed and lightly smacked Soul's head with the back of her hand causing him to laugh and lean back into the pillows.

"Go back to sleep Maka, it's still like the middle of the night…" Soul trailed off tiredly, as he closed back his eyes.

Maka watched as Soul's breathing evened out before she sighed and curled up back next to him. It was surprising to her how quick it was for him to fall back asleep considering her mind was already drifting back to the events that had occurred just hours before.

FLASHBACK

Soul gently tossed Maka onto his bed and peered over her with a smug grin. Maka met his grin with a smirk of her own and let out a gasp of pleasure when he moved in and lightly bit and sucked at her neck to leave a mark.

"Soul, just how far are we going to take this?" Maka managed to moan out.

Soul moved away from planting kisses along her neck to meet her concerned gaze. "How far do you want to take this?"

Maka blushed as she realized the gravity of the situation they could potentially go into. 'I've never actually been intimate with a guy. Oh, it feels like everything I've done relationship wise was so innocuous compared to Soul who probably has way more experience if Blair was his last girlfriend…'

Soul noticed Maka's change in behavior and sat up on the bed away from her. "We don't need to rush into doing anything if you don't feel comfortable Maka."

Maka sighed and turned over in the bed sheets away from him. "It's not that, it's just I don't really have any experience going that far with a guy…"

Soul arched an eyebrow at that. "I figured you would have since you had been with Kid for so long."

Maka scowled as she felt her cheeks redden in anger and embarrassment. "Don't bring Kid into this; my relationship with him was never sexual!"

Soul only smirked at Maka's anger. "I guess then that could be one of the things that would make our relationship different."

Maka pouted and buried her head further into the sheets as Soul continued on. "Look Maka, even though it's not cool to admit it, I don't have as much experience as you think I do."

Maka rolled her eyes and finally decided to sit up properly in the bed. "Yeah right, your last girlfriend was Blair!"

Soul snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "So? As soon as we did finally hook up and do the deed, she moved on to my brother and plenty of other guys I'm sure."

Silence fell over the two at that as Maka nervously fisted at the sheets of the bed and tried to ignore her pounding heart while Soul stared back out into the hallway that led to the living room.

"I just don't want us to do this and end up ruining our relationship when it's already kind of shaky." Maka finally admitted.

Soul turned back towards her and gripped Maka's hands away from the sheets. "Maka, do you trust me?"

Maka blinked in confusion before nodding her head. "Of course I trust you, after all the things you've done for me in the time I've known you, how couldn't I?"

Soul grinned and loosened his hold on her hands slightly. "Then you should know that even if we did go all the way, it shouldn't mess up our relationship. I wouldn't want this to be a one night stand either."

Maka let out a small sigh of relief that made Soul laugh. "It doesn't surprise me that you're a bit nervous Maka; this isn't something you can read about in your books really!"

Maka blushed and grabbed a nearby pillow in preparation to hit him, but Soul moved out of the way and pushed her back down into the bed before she could make a move.

"Why do you always try to hit me when I tease you? I think I deserve some revenge for all those chops you've given me." Soul stated with a smirk.

Maka was about to make a smart remark back, but was cut off from saying anything when Soul began to tickle her.

"Stop it Soul; you know I'm ticklish!" Maka laughed out, as she squirmed in a fit of giggles and tried to move away from his hands to no avail.

"I'll stop if you promise to never give me a Maka chop again." Soul mused with a chuckle.

In between bouts of laughter, Maka was able to get out a "No way!" which led Soul to tickle her even more until she was out of breathe.

Soul gazed over Maka's disheveled appearance with a grin as he lightly brushed her ash blonde hair out of her face and moved his hands underneath her shirt.

"Do you still want this Maka?" Soul asked her seriously, as he met his crimson eyes with her jade green ones once more.

"Yes." Maka replied back sincerely as Soul leaned back in to meet her lips without any more hesitation.

FLASHBACK ENDS

'I'm probably going to feel sore in the morning from this though.' Maka thought, beginning to feel a slight ache in her thighs before she fell asleep again. By around midday, Maka was stunned to see that Soul had actually woken up before her.

"Good morning or I guess it's really almost afternoon now, it's not like you to sleep late." Soul mentioned with a yawn, as he watched the TV in his bedroom next to her.

"How late did we sleep till?" Maka questioned back in confusion.

Soul shrugged and glanced at his nearby bed clock. "It's almost 11:30 am now. We did have a long night, so it's not like I can really blame you."

Maka only laughed and shook her head as she reached down on the floor for the closest article of clothing next to her and put it on.

"You realize that's my shirt, right?" Soul asked with a smirk.

Maka blushed slightly, but nodded her head. "I'm only going to borrow it for a second."

Soul frowned and leaned back into bed as he watched Maka pick up the rest of her clothes and start to head towards the bathroom to change. "You know, I've already seen you naked. There's no reason to be so shy."

Maka felt her face heat up even more as she picked up Soul's jeans and threw them at him. "I know that, but I'm not going to just walk around your room nude! Anyways, I need to head back to my room to take a shower and change into a clean pair of clothes."

Soul nodded his head in understanding. "Okay, just text me when you're done so we can meet up again for lunch."

~X~

"Well there you two are; were you guys just trying to avoid us on purpose!? Black Star snapped out, as he and Tsubaki walked over to the table where Soul and Maka were having lunch and pulled up some chairs.

Soul shrugged at Black Star's anger. "No, we've been distracted and besides, you had Tsubaki to keep you company."

Black Star narrowed his eyes at Soul's comment before he started smirking. "Is being distracted just your code word for saying you guys were having se-"

Black Star was suddenly cut off by a hard nudge from Tsubaki. "I'm just glad we've all patch things up with each other for the most part. We should definitely go out somewhere to celebrate!"

Maka smiled and nodded her head in agreement before she noticed Tsubaki's bandaged foot. "What happened to your foot Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki glanced down at her foot for a moment before smiling and shaking her head. "It's no big deal; I just accidently stepped on a sea urchin yesterday."

Maka frowned and stared at her foot for a bit longer before Black Star suddenly spoke up again proudly. "Tsubaki's foot is fine; I made sure that her pain from the wound was the last thing on her mind!"

Tsubaki blushed and sighed at Black Star's statement as Maka sent her a knowing smirk before turning back to her food.

"Anyways, we're wasting time just standing here! We need to get out or plan something bigger than anything we've done before since we did nothing for July 4th." Black Star griped out.

Maka rolled her eyes and she wiped around her mouth with her napkin. "Black Star, we're in Europe. People wouldn't have been doing anything for July 4th here because that's an American holiday pretty much."

Black Star scoffed and moved his hands behind his head. "You know, I didn't miss your smartass remarks like that."

Maka only shrugged and smiled back. "I'm just saying."

"Perhaps we should travel out of the city again. Maka and I just recently went on a day trip to Madrid and that turned out pretty fun." Tsubaki suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, but it needs to be somewhere that has activities that we've never really done before." Soul said.

Everyone quietly pondered over places they hadn't been to yet until Maka snapped her fingers in delight. "Hey, maybe we should go to Tenerife! It's a part of the Canary Islands and I'm sure we can find plenty of new stuff to do there!"

Tsubaki and Black Star looked interested at that as they started to look up attractions on their phones while Soul frowned as he tried to remember where he had heard the name Tenerife before.

'I'm pretty sure I've never been to Tenerife, but it sounds familiar to me. Wait a minute, isn't Tenerife one of the many places that my parents bought a home that they never go to anymore…?' Soul contemplated before he realized Maka was giving him a concerned look.

"Are you alright Soul? You just suddenly seemed to space out." Maka asked.

Soul blinked in confusion before shrugging. "I'm fine."

Maka arched an eyebrow at Soul's quick response before nodding her head and deciding not to push the topic any further.

"Hmm, how are we going to get there? It seems like the only two options available are either a boat ride that goes there once a week or take a direct flight there." Tsubaki mentioned.

Tsubaki handed Maka her phone to let her read over the options before Maka came to a decision. "Well personally, I think we should just take a direct flight there. It seems like the boat ride would be more expensive for all four of us and it would take us two days to get there."

"The next flight doesn't leave until Saturday on the 12th. What the heck are we supposed to do until then?" Black Star huffed out.

Soul sighed and leaned back in his chair. "All we can do right now is just buy the tickets and pack up some clothes. We should at least stay there for a week or two since it will cost more money than usual to travel and stay there for a while than just going by car or train for a day."

Black Star and Tsubaki nodded their heads in agreement as they got back up and put back their chairs in their original places.

"Sounds good to me I guess. Come on Tsubaki; let's go get some lunch also." Black Star stated, as he started to walk back out of the restaurant into the hallway.

"Hold on Black Star! You know I can't walk as fast with my foot still wrapped up!" Tsubaki cried out, trailing after him.

Soul and Maka watched as they left before they too got up to leave also. Maka casted a brief side glance at Soul as they walked towards the lobby before sighing.

'Soul didn't sound too excited about the idea of going to Tenerife. There must be something there that's bothering him…'

X~

"So, we're going to stay at the Iberostar in Tenerife for a week with the flight leaving tomorrow at 10 am and us arriving there basically by 11, right?" Maka asked Tsubaki, just to make sure the flight and hotel confirmations were correct.

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head as she finished packing up some shorts into her luggage. "I can't wait to leave; it's going to be a nice change of scenery since we won't be on the mainland of Spain for once!"

Maka nodded her head and packed away the flight information into her purse. "I just hope Soul and Black Star set their alarms to get up on time."

"Speaking of them, you never told me what you and Soul were doing a few days ago. Don't think I didn't notice those hickeys you tried to hide by keeping your hair down that day or that necklace!" Tsubaki said teasingly with a wink.

Maka blushed and started to nervously fiddle with her own suitcase to avoid Tsubaki's grin. "I already told you what happened Tsubaki! Geez, I didn't ask you for all the details about what went on with you and Black Star!"

Tsubaki only laughed and zipped up her suitcase before setting it down next to her bed. "I hope that the time we spend there will be a good opportunity for us to connect some more with them. Summer is moving faster than I thought it would."

Maka sighed as she thought back to Soul's reaction to Tenerife. "I think there's something about Tenerife that makes Soul uncomfortable."

"What makes you think that?" Tsubaki inquired curiously.

Maka shrugged as leaned her head back against Tsubaki's bedframe. "He just didn't seem too excited about going. Though Soul never seems that interested in anything now that I think about it."

Tsubaki snickered slightly. "But he was certainly interested in you just a few nights ago!"

Maka laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. "You're spending too much time with Black Star if you're going to start making jokes like that Tsubaki."

Meanwhile in Soul's room, Soul and Black Star had just finished up their packing also.

"Hey, we're actually done now! And here I thought I was going to have to do some last minute rushing in the morning." Black Star announced boastfully.

Soul scoffed next to him as he plopped down on his sofa. "Well, this time we were only packing for a week; I don't really think it's something for you to be proud of."

"Why have you been so negative lately, man? Don't you want to finally see a different part of Spain?" Black Star questioned.

'Of course I do, but why did it have to be a place that will probably just bring up bad memories?' Soul thought tiredly before speaking up.

"I do want to go to Tenerife, but going there also reminds me of the past." Soul grumbled.

Black Star cocked his head in bewilderment. "What do you mean? Your bro and Blair already left, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"It's been a few years, but I'm pretty sure Tenerife is one of the places where my parents bought some mansion as a summer home that they abandoned once they grew tired of it." Soul explained.

Black Star still looked confused for a moment as he scratched his head thoughtfully before he realized what Soul meant.

"Your parents won't be there though and I'm pretty sure your brother didn't rat on you and tell them where you've been this whole time." Black Star said.

Soul sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, you're actually right for once. I'll try and not let it bother me since I don't want Maka constantly giving me her worried look."

Black Star smirked at that as he gazed back down at his luggage. "Hey man, the last thing we need is the girls pissed or upset with us when we just got back together again. We need to spend this upcoming week actually getting to know them beyond their basic interests and hobbies."

Soul snorted at Black Star's attempt to give him advice and be wise at the same time. "Of course we're going to do that; it will be hard to avoid them anyways when we plan on sharing a room with them to save money."

~X~

Soul grumbled and frowned as he felt himself stirred awake again as the plane began its descent into Tenerife's international airport.

Soul opened one crimson eye and gazed at Maka with a scowl. "Why do you keep waking me up?"

Maka ignored Soul's grumpy attitude and only smiled. "We're about to land and you need to put your seat back upright."

Soul sighed and adjusted back his seat to its normal position. "You could have just let the flight attendant tell me that."

Maka only shook her head and lightly poked Soul's cheek. "Stop being so grouchy Soul; it's not every day we get to go to places like this!"

'But I've been here before, even if it was years ago…' Soul mused, as he let out a sigh and placed his head in his palms.

Once the plane landed, Soul and Maka properly met up with Black Star and Tsubaki at baggage claim and took a taxi to the hotel where they chose to eat lunch all together after settling into their rooms.

"The food here is a bit different from what we've been eating in Spain's mainland, though I do like this potato dish I'm having." Tsubaki brought up happily.

"I really like this Ropa Vieja; it kind of reminds me of the Paella that we ate when Stein took us on Las Ramblas street." Maka mentioned, also excited to be trying new cuisine.

Soul and Black Star watched them finish eating their foods with a smile before Black Star cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Hey, when you two are done eating, we should join one of those afternoon tour groups. The next two leave at 1:30."

Maka glanced at her watch before nodding her head. "That's fine; we still have about 45 minutes until they go. Where are they even going anyways?"

"One tour bus is supposed to take us to the beach where we can go scuba diving and go on a submarine tour, while the other tour bus is supposed to take you Mount Teide and Siam Water Park." Black Star explained.

Maka turned to Tsubaki after he finished explaining the options. "Which one do you want to go with Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki shrugged. "Both of them sound good to me, but I think I would rather go on the submarine tour. It's not like we don't have plenty of time to try out a lot of different activities this week though."

Maka nodded her head in understanding. "I don't really feel up for scuba diving or going underwater considering we just ate."

"Alright then, I guess Black Star and I will go on that tour and you and Soul will go on the other I assume." Tsubaki reasoned.

Maka turned back to Soul and Black Star who only shrugged and nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, we should go get ready then; we're going to need to pack our swimwear if we're going into water."

~X~

"Sorry I couldn't do the scuba diving with you Black Star, I just didn't want to risk damaging my foot even more." Tsubaki said with a sigh, as she leaned up from her beach chair and moved her sunglasses up to look at him.

Black Star shook his head and happily handed Tsubaki a bucket full of seashells and other assortments.

"Don't worry about that Tsubaki! I got you a bunch of stuff and the diving instructor who was in my group took plenty of pictures he'll send to us at the end of the day." Black Star stated.

Tsubaki smiled and nodded her head as she looked through the bucket to see what Black Star got: it was indeed mainly just seashells, but Black Star had also managed to pick up some starfish and some uniquely colored coral.

"Wow, this is quite the impressive collection Black Star! Though I think some of these starfish and other sea creatures might still be alive…" Tsubaki mused, noticing that some of the objects were still wiggling around.

Black Star picked up the still alive creatures and put them back into the water while Tsubaki stood up and followed him to the shore. After Black Star had put them deep enough into the water, he turned back around and grabbed Tsubaki's hand to start walking with her along the shore.

"I've never seen sand that was black before. It doesn't feel much different from the regular golden colored sand I'm used to seeing though." Black Star said, as he shifted a bit of the sand threw his toes.

"The sand is black because we're close by a volcano; I think it might even contain some tiny fragments of lava and other minerals." Tsubaki explained.

Black Star nodded his head and gripped Tsubaki's hand a bit tighter as they trekked further along the beach.

"Would you feel comfortable now talking about who Mifune is or would you want to wait a bit longer?" Black Star finally asked.

Tsubaki paused in her walk for a moment and sighed. "We'll have to talk about him eventually, so what exactly do you want to know?"

Black Star shrugged. "Just start from the beginning."

Tsubaki's violet blue eyes glistened as memories came back to her. "Mifune was my last boyfriend. He was two years older than me and I met him one day while in the library. I know he didn't really want to get close to me at first, but I got to know him better by babysitting his cousin Angela. I spent many weekends at his home and I was finally able to get him to get out of the house for once, but it had to be that night also when a drunk driver hit us both…"

Tsubaki shook slightly as she felt a few tears slide against her cheeks. "Since his death, I've tried to at least honor his memory by taking care of his swords and watching over Angela on the weekends even though I can't adopt her yet. I know he probably wouldn't like that I still feel depressed over his passing."

Black Star frowned at Tsubaki's tears and moved closer to her to wipe them away. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel sad thinking about him again. I didn't realize how much he means to you."

Tsubaki smiled and gazed back towards the sea. "That's okay, but you should know if our relationship really does go beyond the summer, then you'll have to spend time around Angela also."

"I'm assuming Angela is still a little girl right? Handling little kids is no problem for a God like me!" Black Star said proudly.

'Angela is not the typical little girl though, but I'm sure Black Star can get close to her if he's actually being serious.' Tsubaki pondered before shaking her head with a smile and reaching back for Black Star's hand again.

"When my foot gets better, I still want to have that football match with you." Tsubaki suddenly stated.

"Oh, did you think of some wager to make things interested?" Black Star asked in amusement.

Tsubaki grinned and nodded her head. "If I win, I want you to go the rest of the summer no longer constantly calling yourself a God. It's nice that you're so confident in yourself, but it does get annoying to me sometimes."

Black Star frowned at the oddness of that dare, but shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't about to back down from any challenge no matter how strange it sounded. "Okay and if I win, I want you to do a daring task with me that you wouldn't normally do."

"What type of task are we talking about here?" Tsubaki questioned.

"Probably bungee jumping or maybe skydiving." Black Star replied back casually.

Tsubaki looked a bit horrified at the thought of doing either, but at least she wouldn't be doing it alone from the way Black Star put it.

"Okay, I agree to the terms." Tsubaki eventually said after thinking things over.

Black Star smirked and lightly tugged Tsubaki in for a kiss. As soon as he pulled back a bit, Tsubaki could see the excitement glimmering in his eyes.

"You know, I don't plan on going easy on you." Black Star uttered quietly against her lips.

Tsubaki only smiled back. "I wouldn't want you to."

~X~

Maka sighed as she gazed through the photos she had taken of Mount Teide on her phone. While it had been nice taking the hike around the volcanic area and taking in the breathtaking landscapes, she noticed that in some of the photos she had taken of Soul that he still hadn't been smiling and look distracted.

'Maybe he'll tell me what's going on with him when we reach the water park and if he's doesn't, I'm sure chopping him will get him to tell me.' Maka thought to herself, as she leaned back into her seat on the bus.

Once they finally reached the park, Maka smiled in awe as she took in the Thai architecture the theme park was styled in. Just from the entrance, Maka was able to see main water slide the park was known for that led into one of their many swimming pools.

"Soul, which slides do you want to go on first? I think we should first try the-"Maka stopped her sentence midway when she noticed Soul was moving away from the group and heading back towards the exit.

'Where is he going? Doesn't he want to go to the park?' Maka thought in confusion, as she followed him outside the park. Maka watched for a moment as Soul walked further down the street before trailing after him silently. It seemed like Soul was just walking in completely random directions until he eventually walked into a neighborhood.

Maka paused in her following after Soul and looked around; where on Earth were they? She had figured Soul didn't know his way around the island just as much as the rest of them, but apparently she had been wrong.

One thing that Maka noticed in particular about this area was that all the homes looked more like mansions with many of them at least 2 or 3 stories high. Maka even started to frown uncomfortably when she noticed that someone of the residents who were outside glanced over her plain summer dress with contempt before looking away snootily.

"Ugh, all of these people are acting stuck up. Why would Soul want to come here?" Maka mumbled under her breathe, as she tried to catch up to him before she got lost.

Eventually, she saw Soul stop at one of the mansions and stare outside the gate for the moment before lightly pushing it open and walking in. Maka waited for a moment before walking up to gate also and reading over the sign next to it.

'Evans Manor, could that possibly be Soul's real last name? I wonder if I should even go in…' Maka pondered.

While all the houses in the neighborhood looked beautiful and in top condition, Evans Manor seemed to be falling apart slightly with the grass in the front lawn not having been cut in years and the gate making a horrible creaking noise when Maka pushed it open.

Maka frowned as she walked into the main foyer of the house and glanced around for any sign of Soul. There was dust lining many of the furniture around the area and the wallpaper was even falling apart in a few spots. Maka picked up one of the frames sitting against a table and smiled as she realized it was a photo of a younger Soul with his brother standing outside the home.

Just as Maka set the photo back down, she started to hear the sound a piano playing somewhere not too far away.

Maka shivered uncomfortably as the melody played throughout the home. She had no idea whether or not that was Soul playing or somebody else.

'Well, I've come this far now. I don't see any point in turning back now.' Maka mused, as she followed the sound of the playing towards a room down the hall and nervously peaked her head in.

To Maka's surprise, she saw that it was Soul who was playing the piano and not a random stranger. Maka watched him play in awe as he concentrated on each note until he reached the end.

"Wow, you were great!" Maka cheered, as she started to clap her hands, startling Soul.

Soul only scowled and looked away from her angrily. "Why did you follow me here?"

Maka blinked in confusion before walking over to him. "You didn't tell me where you were going; we weren't supposed to just break away from the group like that!"

Soul shrugged and dusted off his jeans. "It's not like we were required to stay with the group the whole time and conform to the schedule."

Maka sighed and shook her head at Soul's attitude once again. "You didn't really want to come to this island at all, did you?"

Soul said nothing back, but Maka knew by his facial expression that she was right. Maka smiled and sat down at the piano bench next to him. "Why didn't you just tell us you didn't want to come here?"

"I didn't want to ruin everyone's excitement." Soul grumbled.

Maka gazed at Soul silently before leaning her head gently against his shoulder. "What don't you like about this place?"

"This house we're in is one of the many summer homes that my parents abandoned when they grew tired of it. Though I never really liked coming here because of the snobby people they invited or the comparisons to my brother, I figured since I knew nobody was here, I would gaze around for old times' sake. The only thing I really liked about this place was getting to see my grandparents occasionally." Soul explained.

"But why are all of your family portraits and stuff still here?" Maka questioned.

Soul shrugged, just as unsure himself. "Maybe it would have taken too much effort for them to get some movers or at least put them in storage area. Once my parents grow bored of a place, they just usually leave the stuff there if they see no use for it."

'I never knew Soul had family issues like I did. It seems like he has tried to break his ties will all of them for the most part.' Maka realized.

Maka brightened slightly and got up from leaning on Soul's shoulder. "Well, I at least enjoyed hearing you play."

Soul snorted and rolled his eyes. "You don't know crap about music though. Most people would think what I just played was creepy or weird."

Maka scowled and punched Soul in the shoulder causing him to frown and scowl back at her. "I may not know much about music, but I do know what you played came from your heart and that's what counts. I'm glad I got to hear you play."

Soul blushed slightly at Maka's compliment and looked away. "Thanks I guess, but I don't like playing for people, so don't expect me to do it for you again anytime soon; I'm not very good in actuality."

Maka pouted and shook her head. "You shouldn't look down on yourself like that."

"I don't play very often because then my parents will just continue to try and bug me about attending Julliard again." Soul said.

Maka's eyes widened in surprise as Soul brought up Julliard. "Are you going to go to Julliard in the fall? I'm going to Columbia."

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka's excitement at the possibly of him going to Julliard. "I don't understand why you're so happy about that."

"Julliard and Columbia are just down the street from each other stupid. It would mean we could see each other even after the summer ends." Maka stated.

Soul thought it over before he realized Maka was correct. Though just because they could be close to each other, didn't mean he wanted to attend Julliard anytime soon. They could still do a long distance relationship in his opinion if it came down to that.

"Maka, I still don't want to go there, you know that right?" Soul asked.

Maka nodded her head, but still kept her smile. "I know that Soul, do what makes you happy, not me."

Soul grinned and moved in to lightly peck her on the lips. "It's gotten pretty late now; I think our tour group has probably left us."

Maka frowned as she peered back down at her watch and sighed. "Damn it Soul, why did you have to come back here?!"

"Nobody said you had to follow me back here. I guess we'll have to find some way back to the hotel on our own." Soul considered.

Maka sighed at Soul's lax attitude over their situation, but couldn't help but smile and grab his hand when he reached it out to her.

'I wonder how long we'll truly be able to enjoy days like this together in the future with the summer winding down…' Maka pondered, as they headed back towards the foyer and out of the mansion.

~x~

That's it for Chapter 17! Let me know what you think with a review as always and thanks for reading!


	18. Old Flame Meets New Flame

Chapter 18: Old Flame Meets New Flame

"So, explain to us again how you two managed to end up missing the bus to take you back to hotel." Black Star asked with a snicker, as he and Tsubaki sat across from Soul and Maka in the hotel's lobby.

Maka scowled as she picked some stray grass threads off her shirt and out of her hair. "We told you already, Soul decided to break away from the group and we had to end up walking back to the hotel after going around in circles and trying to find someone who spoke enough English to ask for directions."

Black Star laughed as Maka finished retelling the story. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that!"

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head as she helped Maka pick off the grass on her dress. "Well the important thing is that at least you two are okay. Black Star and I started to get concerned when we didn't see you two get off the other tour bus."

Soul shrugged as he brushed away some dirt from his snowy white hair. "We we're fine. Sure we had to go through some mud and tall grass, but at least we got back here before the sun started to set completely."

Maka scoffed and gave Soul a side glance. "This is your fault; we could have gotten back to the hotel faster if you hadn't thought going through that swampy area would save time!"

"Once again Maka, nobody said you had to follow me back to the mansion or through that bog. You're acting as if all those grass and mud stains won't come out once we put our clothes in the wash." Soul said in boredom.

Maka growled as she balled her fists in aggravation. "That's not the only thing I'm annoyed about! It was embarrassing having to walk back into the hotel with all those people literally covering their noses at how bad we stink!"

Soul only smirked and started to cover his own nose playfully. "Don't blame me that you stink Maka, you must've have gotten covered with some dead bugs also or something we when came out of that mud."

Maka rolled her eyes at Soul's behavior before she started smirking also. "Stop acting as if you don't smell bad too. Anyways, I'm not going to waste any more time here covered in filth; I'm heading straight to the room for a shower immediately."

As Maka finished her sentence, she stood up from the sofa and waved goodbye to Black Star and Tsubaki before turning back to Soul and giving him a look of confusion when he didn't get up also.

"Aren't you coming?" Maka questioned curiously with a smile.

Soul arched an eyebrow before he caught on to Maka's meaning and grinned back. "Lead the way."

Black Star and Tsubaki watched as Soul and Maka left the lobby before giving each other looks of slight surprise at the innuendo that had just happened in front of them.

"Did those two just go from bickering with each other to flirting in the span of only like 10 minutes?" Black Star asked aloud.

Tsubaki only nodded her head as she noticed Soul teasingly flick some of the dirt on him onto Maka. "Well that is the nature of their relationship and telling from how they're acting right now, we probably won't see them again until tomorrow."

Black Star shrugged as he leaned his head back into one of the sofa's pillows. "I can live with that knowing what they'll be up to."

~X~

The following day, everyone was quietly eating breakfast together until Maka broke the silence.

"You guys, we haven't done anything together as a group in a long time. We've either been splitting up to do different stuff or we just somehow ended up away from each other."

Tsubaki set down her glass of juice and nodded her head in agreement. "You're right Maka, it has been awhile since we all did something together. What do you suggest we do?"

Maka sighed and twiddled with the crumbs left on her plate. "I'm not sure to be honest; I haven't really looked at any attractions."

Black Star frowned as he slammed his fist on the table. "Come on guys, we can't be running out of things to do already and it's only like our third day here!"

"It's not like you're throwing out any suggestions." Soul mused, causing Black Star to glare at him.

"It's about 10:30 am right now, let's all search and look up some places and then meet back in the lobby in like an hour." Maka suggested, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out.

Everyone seemed to agree to that and left for their respective rooms. By the time an hour had passed, they had all come up with some options of activities they could possibly do within the rest of the week.

"Okay, this was more difficult to do than I thought it would be. A lot of the attractions in Tenerife are stuff we've already done on the mainland or are similar to things we've done, but I think maybe taking a day trip to Garachico would be fun. Maka said.

"What's there that would make the place stand out?" Black Star asked.

Maka shrugged and looked back down at her phone to see the attractions in the area. "It doesn't have much really since it is a small town, but I wanted to check out the natural rock pools they have."

Black Star nodded his head as he thought it over. "Well that won't take all day; I guess we can do that and eat lunch there before coming back here."

"What did you want to do here Black Star?" Tsubaki questioned.

Black Star grinned and pointed outside the lobby in the direction of where the beach was. "They do parasailing lessons every afternoon and evening on the beach and I want to try that out!"

'He must be thinking of the challenge that we gave each other the other day if he's bringing that up. Well, he's in for a surprise if he thinks I'm going to be so easy to beat.' Tsubaki pondered.

Maka glanced towards Soul and noticed he was still lazily scrolling through his phone. "Soul, you haven't thrown out any suggestions yet. What do you want to do?"

Soul looked up from his phone and shrugged. "It's like you said, we've done most of the interesting sites already. I wouldn't mind just lounging on the beach and maybe doing some dolphin or whale watching."

Maka sighed and laughed lightly at Soul's suggestion. "You don't ever want to do anything exciting like Black Star does, do you?"

Soul smirked and set his phone down on the table. "Relaxing on the beach is exciting to me."

~X~

It took about an hour by taxi for the group to finally reach the town of Garachico and head into the main center square.

"This really is a small village, but the volcanic landscape and old buildings give it a nice vintage look." Maka stated, admiring the scenery and warm weather.

"Apparently, this town has had to deal with a lot in its past. A volcanic eruption occurred here in the 1700s and it had to deal with bubonic plague also." Tsubaki read aloud from the tourist guidebook.

"Hey you guys, can we eat lunch first before checking out the pools? I don't want to go jumping into the water on an empty stomach!" Black Star yelled out.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around that we swim before eating?" Maka mumbled, as they started to search the town for restaurants.

Soul shrugged from beside her. "It's not a big deal really; I would rather eat lunch first also."

Eventually after walking around for a bit, everyone was able to decide on eating at a pizzeria/café that overlooked the ocean.

"Do you prefer the pizza that we're having right now or the one we had back when Stein took us to Tarragona?" Maka asked Soul, after she finished taking a bite out of her pepperoni pizza.

Soul stared at his slice thoughtfully before speaking up again. "I think this one tastes slightly better, but all pizzas have a unique taste to them really."

Maka nodded her head before turning around in her seat to look over at Black Star and Tsubaki sitting a few tables down from them.

"They've been kind of quiet lately; I wonder what they're talking about." Maka mused aloud.

Soul glanced over at them for a moment before taking a sip from his drink. "Go over there and ask them if you're so curious."

Maka huffed and turned back around in her chair to face Soul. "It would be rude to just interrupt their conversation!"

"It's not like that has stopped you from trying to eavesdrop on them before." Soul replied back, earning him a flick of a pepperoni onto his face.

Tsubaki had just finished eating her plate of pasta and was slowly twirling her fork on her plate as Black Star watched her with an arched eyebrow.

"Is something bothering you Tsubaki? You've been messing with your plate for a good five minutes now." Black Star asked.

Tsubaki quickly looked up from her plate and shook her head with a smile. "It's nothing Black Star."

Black Star placed an elbow against the table and narrowed his eyes at her. "Come on Tsubaki, there's no reason for you to hide anything from me."

Tsubaki sighed and nervously twiddled with her fingers. "Well I was just thinking, know that I told you about my life back at home, I wanted to know a bit about how you're life back at home is also with your other family and friends."

Black Star blinked in confusion before he realized Tsubaki was right. He had spent the past few weeks getting to know Tsubaki and asking about her life and even her ex, but he had never really mentioned to her what he did outside of working out and playing video games.

'Do I really want to tell her about my family life though? What would she think of me if she knew what type of people my parents were…?' Black Star pondered.

Tsubaki noticed after a few minutes had passed that her question had caused Black Star to become oddly quiet and frowned uncomfortably.

"If it's a touchy subject, you don't have to tell me right now." Tsubaki softly murmured.

Black Star shook his head and finally put on his signature grin, but Tsubaki could see his smile didn't meet his eyes.

"My parents just aren't something I really like to talk about. They spent the majority of their lives going in and out of jail committing a variety of crimes until eventually; they got caught up in a scandal they couldn't escape from…" Black Star grumbled.

"I guess that's one of the reasons I'm such good friends with Soul. Besides the fact that we both never really tried at school and spent our time playing games, we both knew we came from screwed up families." Black Star continued on.

Tsubaki gave Black Star a somber smile that made him shift uneasily in his chair. It reminded him of the pitied looks people had given him when he was younger and was about to say he didn't want Tsubaki feeling sorry for him when suddenly she spoke up.

"I know it doesn't compare to your family issue, but I can kind of understand where you're coming from because my own brother has committed crimes also and I've become estranged from him."

Black Star glowered at his plate before he straightened up in his chair. "Well, we're not going to be stupid like they we're! I know that you, Maka, and probably even Soul think that I use my fists more than my head, but I actually do have plans to at least attend community college before transferring to some 4-year school."

Tsubaki only smiled and reached out across the table to lightly grip Black Star's hand. "We don't think you're stupid Black Star and I think that's a great idea. Hey, maybe you can transfer to the University of Nevada; that's where I'm going."

Black Star grinned and nodded his head in agreement. "I would like that."

~X~

"Hey Tsubaki, check this out; you can see some schools of fish right here!" Maka said gleefully, as she watched a group of gray colored fish swim by in the turquoise waters.

Tsubaki nodded her head and swam over to where Maka was while Black Star and Soul watched them with amusement.

"Why is this water so hot, man? I thought ocean water was cooler than this." Black Star complained.

Soul pulled some drifting seaweed off his shoulder and scoffed. "Why would you think the water would be cool when it's being exposed to the sun like this?"

Black Star snorted at Soul's sarcastic response before smirking as he noticed he had focused his attention back on Maka again.

"I think you and me both win that bet me we made in the past man." Black Star stated.

Soul frowned and turned his crimson eyes towards him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Black Star only shook his head at Soul's apparent forgetfulness. "Don't tell me that you forgot already. We made a bet that we would both find girls who would like us as we are."

Soul said nothing for a moment as he tried to remember what Black Star was talking about before it came back to him.

"Oh yeah, that bet. I'm surprised you still remember that considering we made it like right before graduation." Soul mused.

Black Star shrugged, but continued to smirk. "Anyways, I say we've both won that bet, so we both need to challenge each other do something."

Soul rolled his eyes, but nodded his head. "Okay, I'll go first to get it over with. What do you want me to do?"

Black Star grinned wickedly and pretended to think deeply on something Soul could do before snapping his fingers.

"Alright, I'll go easy on you. See if you can take Maka's book away from her without getting hit in the process."

Soul frowned and looked back over at Maka who was now lounging against the rocks reading before turning back towards Black Star.

"You know that's not going to be easy; you just want to laugh at me when she probably chops me and pushes me into the water."

Black Star smiled and chuckled a bit. "What's your point; are you too scared to do it?"

Soul scowled and shook his head. "Alright, I'll do it, but you need to try and steal Tsubaki's bikini top without her noticing."

Black Star scoffed and pumped up his chest. "Is that the best you could come up with? That's too easy for a God like me!"

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Soul grumbled back, as he started to swim over to where Maka was.

Maka looked up from her book and smiled as she noticed Soul approaching her. "Hey Soul, what's up?"

"Nothing much really, how do you like things here so far?" Soul asked casually, trying to distract Maka.

Maka rubbed a hand over the volcanic rocks before shrugging. "It's nice here; there may not be much to do, but it's nice to go to small towns like this over big cities sometimes."

Soul only nodded his head and frowned as Maka inadvertently moved her book underneath her chest. 'Damn it, how am I supposed to get to it now without her hitting me?'

Maka gazed at Soul in confusion as to why he wasn't replying back and followed his stare towards her chest before blushing and sitting up from her towel.

"Soul, why do you keep staring at me like that; are you thinking some perverted thoughts?" Maka questioned, closing her book shut in preparation to hit him.

Soul blinked before quickly moving back as he realized what was about to happen. "No wait Maka, calm down! I just wanted your book!"

Maka scoffed and only lifted her book higher above her head. "Why? So you could throw it into the water again like you did my last book?"

"No, Black Star dared me to take your book without you hitting me." Soul explained quickly.

Maka stared at Soul for a moment to make sure he wasn't lying before slowly putting the book back down. "If that's all there was to the dare, then why didn't you just ask me for it?"

'Hmm, she actually has a good point there.' Soul reasoned to himself. "Would it happen to be okay now for me to ask for the book?"

Maka only smiled and shook her head. "Of course not, you should have thought of that beforehand!"

Soul only smirked and started to step out of the waters onto the rock. "That's fine, I'm sure I can get it from you another way."

Maka felt her cheeks redden and nearly let out a squeal as Soul pounced on her. Soul laughed as he watched Maka squirm and try to get out of the hold he had on her when he noticed she had become distracted.

"Black Star, what are you trying to do to Tsubaki?!" Maka snapped out.

Black Star cursed in alarm at his cover being blown as Tsubaki opened her eyes and turned over on her towel to look at him. "Yeah Black Star, what are you doing?"

Black Star quickly moved away from Tsubaki and scowled. "Damn it Maka, why did you have to blow my cover by yelling my name out like that?!"

Maka only gave Black Star a smug grin at his anger. "It's not like you were doing a good job of hiding yourself when we're out in the open like this. Let me guess, Soul dared you to try and steal her top?"

Tsubaki sat up and adjusted her bikini top before giving Black Star an amused look. "You really could have tried better to take my top in my opinion if that was the challenge."

"Tsubaki, you're not supposed to encourage him!" Maka retorted in frustration.

Tsubaki laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't look like you're trying to stop Soul over there though."

Maka blinked in confusion before blushing and pushing Soul away slightly. "Is anyone else ready to head back to the hotel now before it gets too late in the day?"

~X~

Soul watched in amusement as he and Maka gazed at an ongoing football match between Black Star and Tsubaki.

"I thought Black Star wanted to go parasailing once we came back here, so why is he now playing football?" Maka asked in puzzlement.

Soul shrugged, just as unsure why the match was occurring also. "I think Black Star said he and Tsubaki made some bet with each other just for the sake of a challenge. I think if Black Star wins, then he wants Tsubaki to do some activity she normally wouldn't do and if she wins, then Black Star has to stop constantly yelling out that he's a God and showing off."

Maka thought over Soul's explanation before grinning. "Ooh, I hope Tsubaki wins then! I could definitely use not hearing Black Star brag so much about how great he is."

Soul only nodded his head before looking up towards the sky as he heard a rumble. "I wonder how long this match is going to last for. It seems like rain is on the way."

Maka glanced up towards the sky also and noticed a few of the clouds started to darken and grow larger. "What's the current score at?"

Soul groaned and watched as Black Star almost made a goal, but was blocked by Tsubaki before he could shoot it into their makeshift net. "The last time we checked it was 0-0 still."

Maka sighed and lazily tilted her head onto Soul's shoulder. "Football is supposed to be more exciting than this, but I guess it's because it's only two people playing."

Soul was about to speak up again when he noticed a drop of water fall onto Maka's cheek. "I guess the rain is coming faster than we thought it would."

Maka wiped away the raindrop from her cheek and watched as the rain began to start coming down faster. Maka and Soul quickly went for cover under a tree and watched as Black Star and Tsubaki continued to play as if they hadn't even noticed the change in weather.

"Should we just let them keep playing or try to stop them?" Maka asked.

Soul looked between the two of them before sighing. "Let's just head back to the hotel. I'm sure they'll catch up with us later at dinner or something."

Maka nodded her head as the two ran back to hotel, leaving behind Black Star and Tsubaki to finish their match.

"You're pretty good Tsubaki; you didn't tell me you played football!" Black Star said, as he prevented Tsubaki from making a goal.

Tsubaki laughed and shook her head. "I'm not that good really; I've just played a few games in and out back in high school."

Black Star smirked and managed to get the ball away from Tsubaki and was about to launch it into his goal when the sound of thunder followed by lightning stopped him.

Tsubaki paused in her movements also as they both peered up and realized the weather was becoming more vicious than they thought.

"Geez, I didn't realize the rain was coming down this hard. I bet Soul and Maka are already back at the hotel now." Black Star stated.

Tsubaki nodded her head as Black Star picked up the ball before they started to run for cover under a nearby beach stand.

"This rain doesn't look like it's going to let up anytime soon." Tsubaki murmured.

Black Star didn't reply back immediately as another passing rumble of thunder filled the air. "Do you want to just call it a tie for right now?"

Tsubaki stared at the rain quietly before turning back towards Black Star. "I guess so; I wouldn't really mind trying out parasailing if I'm with you."

Black Star grinned at that as he brushed away some water from his hair. "That's good, because we both have to keep up our ends of the deal even though mine won't be so easy."

Tsubaki laughed as she grabbed Black Star's hand before they started running back to the hotel. "Oh don't be silly Black Star; I'm sure you've had to deal with worse bets."

"I've never lost a bet, but because it's you, I'll do my best to stop bragging so much." Black Star said proudly.

'He doesn't even realize he was bragging when he said that statement…' Tsubaki mused with a sigh, before smiling again; some things would never change.

~X~

Maka let out a sigh of pleasure as she stretched and relaxed comfortably onto the hotel's bed. She had just gotten finished taking her shower and was now letting Soul have his turn. In this silence of the room, Maka could still make out the sounds of the rain hitting against their window as the day turned to night.

'This would be the perfect night for a good book, but I guess I've done enough reading for today. Maybe I should see if I can finally skype with Kim and Jacqueline.'

Earlier in the day, Kim had sent her a text asking if she would be up for getting on skype later and of course Maka agreed to it. It had been so long since she had spoken to either of them and there was obviously so much she wanted to say them.

Maka got up off the bed and picked up the rental laptop that she was borrowing from the hotel before returning back to the bed and signing in.

"Hey, I'm ready to skype whenever you're ready." Maka texted to Kim and waited a few minutes before she got a buzz back.

"Okay, just give me a minute to log on." Kim replied back.

Maka waited in anticipation for Kim's face to pop up on screen and grinned in excitement when she finally saw her.

Kim smiled and gave a small wave to Maka. "It's been too long Maka; it looks like you even got a light tan! How's my karate partner been doing?"

Maka laughed and shook her head. "I'm good; I actually haven't been doing a lot of karate lately to be honest."

Kim shook her head at that. "That's no good Maka, you're the only the person worth sparring with."

Maka shrugged, but continued to smile. "It looks like you've gotten in touch a bit with your girly side Kim. I didn't expect you to grow your hair out and start wearing dresses!"

Kim brushed a hand through her pink hair and sighed as she glanced over her light blue dress. "Oh, I don't plan to keep it this long since I'm going to cut it back to its normal length next week. And you know I wouldn't normally be dressed like this; we're having a small get together at our place with everyone else and Jackie encouraged me to wear something different from my usual t-shirt and jeans."

"Anyways, what's up with the pajamas? Is it night time there?" Kim asked.

Maka nodded her head. "Well, it's actually only about 9 pm, but I know it's still like afternoon there."

Kim nodded her head and scooted over a bit on her bed to better allow Jackie into the view of the camera also.

"How are things going with you and Ox?" Maka suddenly inquired.

Kim scoffed and shook her head. "We're fine; I can't believe he's been spending his summer doing classes."

"He would drop everything if you asked him out somewhere though." Jacqueline piped up from next to her, causing Kim to blush and scowl a bit.

"What have you been doing over the summer Jackie?" Maka questioned her in interest.

Jacqueline shrugged and smoothed out her black polo top and skirt. "Nothing really, I've just been doing some odd jobs here and there. I'm sure it's nothing exciting compared to what you and Tsubaki have been up to."

"Speaking of which, how did your plans go of finding some new summer loves? And where's Tsubaki at; I don't see her in the room you're in." Kim asked with a grin.

Maka blushed and nervously looked away for a moment causing Kim and Jacqueline to both smirk at each other in delight.

"I'm taking it you found somebody then?" Kim mused with a chuckle.

Maka laughed and finally nodded her head. "He can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but he's nice for the most part. In fact, both he and his friend are from Death City also."

"That's an odd coincidence. What high school did they go to?" Kim asked.

Maka pondered it over for a moment. "I think he told me it was South Valley High."

Kim and Jackie gaped in shock at that. "You two are dating South Valley High guys?! I never thought you would do that!"

Maka arched an eyebrow and shrugged. "They honestly don't really fit the rumors that we had of that school and plus, what does it matter now that we've all graduated?"

Kim only laughed lightly and was about to speak up again when she noticed Maka had turned her face away from the camera and appeared to be talking to someone.

~X~

"Maka, who are you talking to?" Soul questioned curiously.

Maka blushed and tried to conceal the laptop from his view before speaking up. "Just my friends from high school."

"Why are you trying to hide them from me?" Soul pried on.

"Because you only have a towel wrapped around yourself; hurry up and put some clothes on!" Maka hissed out.

Soul shrugged and nodded his head as Maka turned back towards the camera. "Sorry about that."

"Who was that you were talking to? It sounded like a guy…wait a minute don't tell me you're actually sharing a room with him too!" Kim asked with glee.

"Ooh Maka, you've certainly changed in only the span of a few weeks." Jacqueline teased.

Maka sighed and waited for them to stop taunting her. "Hey, you never told us what his name was." Kim said aloud in realization.

"My name is Soul." Soul stated, cutting into the conversation as he hopped into the bed with Maka and moved into view of the camera.

Maka gaped at him in a mix of shock and embarrassment. "Don't just come butting in!"

"I wanted to meet your friends though, is that so wrong?" Soul asked her with a smirk.

Maka pouted and rolled her eyes as Kim and Jackie laughed at the scene playing out in front of them. "Not to be rude, but that is kind of a weird name." Kim stated.

Soul shrugged, not really caring about her opinion as he noticed Jacqueline was gazing at him curiously.

"Maka, you certainly pick some interesting guys to date. What's Tsubaki's guy like?"

"I can answer that one. His name is Black Star and he's pretty much a loudmouth who thinks he's the best at everything." Soul explained.

Kim and Jackie gave each other looks before they shrugged and turned back towards the camera. Nothing was said for a few minutes, until a voice on Kim's side this time came into the conversation.

"What are you two doing up here? You guys only said you needed to get something from your rooms and would be back down in a minute." Kid asked.

Maka froze as she saw Kid's face on camera. 'Oh crap, why did Kid have to pick the wrong time to walk in with Soul even sitting by me?!'

It took Kid a moment to realize what Kim and Jackie were doing as his golden eyes widened in surprise when he saw Maka's face on Kim's laptop.

"Maka, is that you?" Kid questioned in surprise.

Maka laughed awkwardly before nodding her head. "Yeah it's me."

Soul glanced over Kid with disinterest before meeting the side glance Maka was giving him. "So, this is him right?"

Maka nervously nodded her head and watched as Soul and Kid stared at each other silently. Even Kim and Jackie had nothing to say over the awkward atmosphere. 'Oh please don't let Soul make one of his usual sarcastic or snarky remarks…'

To Maka's surprise, Soul sat up a bit and greeted Kid civilly. "It's about time I finally at least got to see your face. I'm Soul."

Kid smiled slightly and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you two, I take it you must be hanging out with Maka a lot?

Soul snorted, but nodded his head simply. "Yeah, pretty much; we've done stuff together and she usually Maka chops me if I ever do anything that annoys her."

Kid laughed at that before glancing back towards Maka. "That's good to here; I'm glad you found someone Maka."

Maka smiled and let out a sigh of relief that their meeting didn't turn out as uncomfortable as she thought it would be until she heard more grumbling and footsteps off camera.

"What's everyone doing up here; did the party get moved up here?" Maka could hear Liz ask.

'Since when do Kim and Jackie hang out with Liz? Have things really changed that much in the time Tsubaki and I have been gone…?' Maka pondered in dismay.

Just as the tension in the air seemed like it was going to diminish, Liz decided to come into view of the camera and glanced at Maka and Soul in shock.

"Oh, I didn't realize they were talking to you; I didn't mean to interrupt." Liz said, frowning slightly at her.

Maka resisted the urge to fall into her old habits of arguing with Liz and instead forced herself to smile. "No, I just was just catching up with everyone is all."

Liz nodded her head. "That's nice; I see you met someone."

Maka glanced over at Soul to introduce him, but frowned when she noticed he wasn't even paying attention and instead was focusing on something on TV.

"Anyways Maka, I'm sure it's getting late there and you want to relax, so we'll let you go." Kim said, breaking the silence in the air.

Maka sighed, not wanting to end the conversation just yet, but nodded her head. "Okay, I'll see you all in like a month then."

Kim nodded her head and signed off as Maka stared at the blank screen for a moment before shutting down the laptop.

Maka scowled and flicked Soul's forehead to get his attention. "Why did you have to be so rude? You could've at least said hello to her!"

Soul rolled his eyes and turned towards Maka with a scoff. "You didn't seem like you wanted to talk to her much either. I take it that's his new girlfriend."

Maka huffed, but nodded her head. "It's not easy to talk to her when all we've done in the past is argue and fight with each other. Things will be even more awkward between us now if my other friends are now hanging out with her…"

"Maybe she's not as bad you think she is; people can change in time." Soul considered.

Maka said nothing back as she gazed down at the laptop quietly before letting out a slight yelp when Soul pulled her into his lap.

"Stop worrying about them. I'm sure you can be friends with her also if you give her a chance." Soul stated, as he wrapped his arms around her.

Maka smiled and relaxed into Soul's arms as he moved back slightly in the bed to get into a more comfortable position.

"So… why is that guy so obsessed with symmetry if his own hair isn't even symmetrical?" Soul finally asked, looking down at Maka with a smirk.

Maka sighed and shook her head. "I knew you couldn't resist making some type of comment."

~x~

That's it for Chapter 18! Feedback is always appreciated and as always, thanks for reading!


	19. Rendezvous Interrupted

Chapter 19: Rendezvous Interrupted

"What, Kim and Jackie hang out with Liz now! Are you serious; when did they even become friends in the first place?" Tsubaki asked in shock, as Maka retold the events that had happened last night to her over brunch.

Maka sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't even know and trust me, it was her. I guess a lot of things have changed since we've been gone though I never thought Liz being friends with our group would be one of them."

Tsubaki solemnly leaned back in her seat. "Yeah, things really have been happening so fast it seems; I can't believe we basically only have a month left here before we have to go back home."

"Ugh, don't remind me; Soul doesn't even like it when I bring up anything related to going back to Death City or school." Maka groaned out.

Tsubaki cocked her head slightly in confusion. "Why? Aren't you two going to be basically down the street from each other once college starts?"

Maka shrugged and played with her fork on the table. "Maybe, but Soul doesn't want to go to Julliard because that's where his parents are pushing him to go. He wants to make his own decisions without them interfering and that may mean he'll go elsewhere."

Tsubaki frowned and nodded her head in understanding. "You know, I never thought we would have to seriously consider how we would spend the rest of our summer with the guys and afterwards once school starts up again. I don't want us all to drift apart from each other…"

Maka silently agreed and looked around the restaurant for them. "Speaking of which, where are Soul and Black Star? Aren't they hungry?"

"Before I came down, Black Star sent me a text message saying he wanted to check out the hotel's casino center and I'm assuming Soul went with him." Tsubaki considered.

Maka rolled her eyes, but smiled as she sat up from her seat. "Typical, let's go find them."

"Man, why didn't we come here before; I'm a God at these slot machines!" Black Star cheered out.

Soul grunted next to him, annoyed that he had lost at another slot game. "Aren't you supposed to be trying to control your bragging?"

Black Star only laughed and patted Soul on the back. "Hey, don't take your anger out on me that you suck at these games!"

Soul scoffed and was about to push him back when he noticed Maka and Tsubaki walk up to them. "Wasting your money on some luck based games, huh?" Maka questioned with a sigh.

Black Star turned towards them and grinned as he showed off to Tsubaki all the money and coins he had won. "Hey ladies, came to check out our skills? Well, really my skills only since Soul hasn't won anything since we came here."

Maka and Tsubaki shook their heads as they glanced around the area at all the brightly lit up colorful machines and matches going on. "We were just wondering where you guys went is all." Tsubaki stated.

"You guys should at least try one match while you're here. Here, I'll even lend you some coins." Black Star said, as he handed both Maka and Tsubaki about 10 coins.

Maka stared at the golden coins before frowning and gazing back up at the slots. "I don't even know how to play any of these games though."

Black Star shrugged before pointing over to some roulette tables and some other slot machines. "I would say roulette and the slot machines are the easiest things to play, but they are more luck based than strategic."

Maka nodded her head and grabbed Soul by the arm causing him to gaze at her confusion. "Come on Soul, you're going to show me how to play these games!"

"All you have to do is press a button or pull down the lever; what more can I teach you?" Soul questioned sarcastically.

"What each of the symbols means stupid, now stop being so grouchy and come on." Maka replied back smoothly, as Soul allowed her to guide them to some slot machines further into the casino.

"Hah, no way they'll probably earn any money with just 10 coins. I bet you and I can get more cash than them." Black Star said arrogantly.

Tsubaki watched them go before turning back towards Black Star and smiling. "I didn't know we were planning to turn this into some kind of competition, but it will make things more interesting."

For the next hour, Black Star and Soul taught Maka and Tsubaki how to play a variety of casino games. By the time they all met up again at the entrance to turn in their coins for cash, Black Star was slightly shocked and annoyed by the fact that Maka and Soul had managed to earn at least 50 dollars more than him.

Soul grinned at Black Star's somewhat defeated expression. "I guess you aren't as good at these games as you thought you were."

Black Star growled before straightening up and putting his hands behind his head. "The only reason you earned more than us was because you happened to get lucky from Maka doing well at the slot machines and whatever other games you played."

"Now Black Star, don't take your anger out on me that you suck at these games!" Soul mused, mocking the earlier statement he had said to him with a grin.

Maka and Tsubaki watched as the two of them start to argue and brag about their victories with a sigh. "Was this supposed to be some type of competition to see who could earn the most money?" Maka whispered to her.

"It wasn't, but you know Black Star likes to turn anything into a challenge." Tsubaki mumbled back.

Maka laughed lightly and nodded her head. 'I should be angry that they're causing a scene like this in front of the entrance, but I know we aren't going to get times like this all together for much longer…'

Eventually after realizing their bickering wasn't going to end in just a few minutes, Maka sighed and started to crack her knuckles.

"Since I don't have my book on me, using my fists will have to do." Maka grumbled silently under her breathe, as she slammed her balled hand onto Soul's head.

Soul let out a curse and turned around to glare at Maka. "Ouch, what the hell are you hitting me for?!"

Maka glared right back at him and shook her head. "For causing a commotion over something stupid, now let's go do another activity already."

Soul scoffed and lightly rubbed his head. "You could've just said that."

Maka smiled and reached out to grab his hand. "It's easier to get your attention that way though."

"Hah, you do anything Maka tells you to do, don't you Soul?" Black Star yelled out from behind them as they started to walk away.

Soul growled as Maka felt him tighten his grip on his hand. "Don't worry Soul; I'll make sure to hit him later when he least expects it or get Tsubaki to do it for me."

Soul chuckled a bit at that and nodded his head. "If you're actually going to do that, then make sure you at least get a picture of it happening."

~X~

'Hmm, this sandcastle is missing something; maybe if I add a seashell to the top it will look better.' Maka pondered to herself, as she smoothed out the edges before she realized a shadow had come over her.

Maka glanced up and smiled as she realized it was Soul. "Come to help me finish my sandcastle?"

Soul shook his head and only grinned mischievously. "I've been watching you build it for like the past hour and I was considering smashing it to liven up the mood."

Maka scowled and shoved Soul back slightly before he decided to put his plan into action. "That better not be the main reason you came up to me."

Soul sighed and shrugged as he sat down in the warm sand beside her and watched as she went back to concentrating on the castle. "I figured you were going to go do parasailing with Black Star and Tsubaki."

At the mention of Black Star and Tsubaki, Maka turned her attention towards the sapphire blue waters and grinned as she saw Tsubaki ascend into the air with Black Star cheering her on from back in the boat.

"I kind of did want to go, but there was too long of a wait by the time we got to the beach. Besides, we both already went out on the water when we borrowed those jet skis earlier." Maka reasoned, as she snapped a photo of Tsubaki using her phone.

Soul nodded his head and stood up for a moment to shake the sand away from his red and black shorts. "Something else is on your mind though, isn't it? You haven't said much to me or anyone really since we came here."

'We might only have a month left together; I need to enjoy these moments while I still can without feeling so depressed or starting any arguments.' Maka thought internally to herself before sighing.

"Don't worry about it Soul, it's nothing serious." Maka finally said.

Soul arched an eyebrow before grumbling and purposely flicking some sand off part of her castle to irritate her.

"I wouldn't ask you if I didn't want to know. Just tell me what's bugging you." Soul inquired.

Maka huffed and met Soul's blood red eyes for a moment before looking away. "I just wish you would consider giving Julliard a chance is all." Maka murmured.

Even though Maka had uttered it quietly, Soul still managed to hear her and snorted. "Oh, that issue again."

Maka growled as she tightened her fists and attempted to calm herself down. "See, this is why I didn't want to bring it up. Whenever I mention anything about it, you always change the topic or start acting like a jerk."

Soul shrugged and leaned his head against his palm. "I don't want to go there and you already know that."

Maka dragged her fingers through the sand and nodded her head. "Look, I know you don't want to go to Julliard because it will seem like you're giving in to your parent's demands, but you could learn a lot from going there and might miss out on some great opportunities. Plus, I really do want to still be with you once summer ends and we wouldn't be that far from each other."

'That sounded so selfish when I put it that way and I even said that I wanted Soul to do what makes him happy… ' Maka realized, when she noticed Soul didn't respond back immediately and looked away from her for a moment.

"We can still be together no matter where I go or how far away I am. Also, don't you think I could get the same chances at another school?" Soul asked with a sneer.

Maka bit her lip to fight back the urge to snap back at him. "Just forget I said anything."

Soul groaned under his breath as Maka put her back towards him to focus on her castle again and ignore him. Nothing was said for a few minutes as Soul eventually sat up a bit and grabbed Maka's shoulders to force her to look back at him.

"I'm not going to promise you anything, but I'll think about it a bit more; okay?" Soul grumbled, not wanting to deal with the silent treatment any longer.

Maka's jade green eyes brightened as she nodded her head in agreement. "Thank you Soul and I promise not to try and bring up so much anymore."

Soul nodded his head and smirked as he pulled her in a bit closer. "You might be able to sway my decision even more though with a kiss."

Maka blushed slightly before wrapping her arms around his neck. "That can be arranged."

Soul's lips had just barely brushed against Maka's before they were both suddenly splashed with water. Maka and Soul sputtered as they wiped away the saltwater from their lips before turning to glare at their intruder.

"I didn't take you two as the type to go making out in a public place like this." Black Star mused with a chuckle from above them as he dangled a now empty sand bucket in his hands.

"You didn't need to interrupt their moment like that." Tsubaki mumbled from beside him with a sigh as she shook her head.

Soul growled and as he finished wiping the water away from his face. "Why the hell are you bothering us anyways? I thought you two were out parasailing."

"We just finished that a few minutes ago; let's play some beach volleyball now." Black Star declared.

Soul frowned and looked back towards Maka who only shrugged. "He's not going to go away until we say yes."

"Fine, let's go then." Soul grumbled, as he moved to stand while helping Maka up also.

~X~

"You guys aren't as bad as I thought you were going to be." Maka stated, as she served the ball. They had all decided to make the game be a simple boys vs girls match with the losing team having to pay for the others lunch.

"We know how to play a variety of sports!" Black Star replied back, as he slammed the ball back that Tsubaki was luckily able to get to in time before it hit the sand.

"This game has been all tied up for a while, so the next team to score wins." Soul declared aloud.

'Alright, it's time to finish this then.' Tsubaki thought to herself, as she gave Maka a look to which Maka nodded her head and got into formation.

Tsubaki served the ball and managed to toss it high over the net and above all of their heads, but to both her and Maka's shock, Black Star jumped up and spiked the ball back at them so fast that neither of them were able to get to the ball in time before it hit the ground.

"Well…that was unexpected." Maka muttered in a slight daze, she didn't honestly think they would be able to hit that move back and with so much force.

Tsubaki stared down at the fallen ball for a moment before sighing. "I was hoping that if we did lose it wouldn't just happen in the blink of an eye."

"Don't worry, we won't make you two spend too much money, but we are hungry." Soul snickered out from across the net, as he and Black Star high fived each other.

"I'm not spending above 25 bucks." Maka grumbled under her breathe, as she and Tsubaki walked over to the seaside restaurant.

After Maka and Tsubaki paid for their respective meals and the guys, they all sat down in some shade at a nearby beach bar.

Tsubaki smiled as she noticed a few tables away that Maka had laughed at some joke Soul had said. "I guess Maka and Soul got pass their issues for the time being."

Black Star glanced up from his pineapple smoothie and cocked his head in confusion. "I didn't know they were even having any problems in the first place."

"Oh, well it wasn't really a huge issue, but I knew Maka was concerned over the fact that she might not be able to spend as much time with Soul as summer comes to an end and school starts." Tsubaki explained.

Black Star swirled his drink around as he nodded his head. "Soul's just being stubborn and rebellious. I think Maka is probably the only person who can actually persuade him to attend Julliard."

Tsubaki grinned at that before taking a bite of her hotdog as Black Star spoke up again. "How soon do you think it should be before I meet Angela?"

Tsubaki blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic to Angela. "Um well I guess you can meet her once we're all settled in back at home, but I'm sure I've already told you that I don't think she'll like you. 'She's more than likely going to think I'm trying to replace him with Mifune…' Tsubaki speculated with a frown.

Black Star sighed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That's why I was thinking I should meet her and as soon as possible and let her get to know me better before she jumps to conclusions."

Tsubaki laughed lightly and shook her head. "Black Star, Angela is like 6 years old and I know how she likes to behave. She's probably going to make assumptions and say rude comments about you no matter what you say or do."

Black Star frowned at that before giving his usual smirk. "I know this is going to sound sappy, but Tsubaki, you're one of the best things to have happened to me. I'll show Angela that she will be just as important to me as you are for her."

Tsubaki felt her cheeks redden as she looked down and spun a French fry in her hand nervously to avoid his smug gaze. Black Star had started to behave more seriously since they had made up and it seemed like she was the only one who really noticed the subtle changes he was doing every day in terms of his personality and work effort.

'While it is kind of a sudden, I'm glad that Black Star is still interested in meeting Angela. Maybe I should try and see if I could FaceTime with her so at least she could see his face.' Tsubaki contemplated.

"If you really want to meet her, then I can see if I can try to reach her later on tonight." Tsubaki stated.

Black Star nodded his head as he finished off the rest of his drink. "I don't think there's anything for me to really worry about. I'm sure I can get her to maybe laugh to ease any possible tension."

"I wouldn't speak so soon." Tsubaki responded back with a smile.

~X~

Maka yawned sleepily as she leaned her head against of the bed's pillows before turning towards Soul. "Well, that's the second movie we just finished. What do you want to do now?"

Soul shrugged and started to flip through the channels again. "I don't know, we've basically chosen to spend all day at the hotel for once and it's only a little past 3 pm now."

"What are Black Star and Tsubaki doing?" Maka asked.

"I think they're taking a nap more than likely; they did spend most of the late morning and early afternoon doing all those sports and activities." Soul reasoned.

Maka sat up a bit from the bed and stretched. "There must be something at this hotel that we haven't done yet."

"Well, there is one activity that I'm sure we haven't done, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to do it." Soul mused.

Maka brushed a hand through her hair as she tied it back into their usual pigtails. "Well, you obviously made me curious to know now, so just spit it out."

"The only thing we haven't really done here yet or in general is play golf." Soul stated.

Maka gave him a skeptical look before shaking her head. "I can't believe you would even consider that. We aren't that bored, are we?"

"I don't know, you tell me. We might not know how to play golf, but we can at least get out of our room and try it out to kill time before heading to dinner." Soul suggested.

Maka sighed and stared back outside. It was still relatively sunny outside and the occasional wind or passing cloud would at least provide some bouts of shade and coolness.

"They'll allow us to rent the equipment at least, right?" Maka questioned to which Soul nodded his head.

Maka smiled and got up from the bed to grab her shoes. "Then what are we waiting for?"

About 30 minutes later, Soul and Maka arrived at the golf course and peered around the grassy and sandy plains before looking at each other in amusement.

"Soul, I think you and I just might be the only people here who have never played this sport before." Maka said with a chuckle, as she watched a few golfers aim and launch their balls across the fields.

Soul arched an eyebrow as he watched an older group of men pass by them and give them both an odd look before continuing on. "Well, we certainly don't dress or act the way they do that's for sure."

"Speak for yourself; you're the one who always chooses to wears dark colored clothes with jeans. I've got on a light pink polo and skirt to at least match the occasion."

Soul shrugged and handed her a golf club. "Yeah, well we'll see how good you actually are on the course. That's what really matters after all."

Soul and Maka walked over to the first course and looked to see how far away the hole was. "Do you want to go first?" Maka asked curiously.

Soul nodded his head and accepted the ball Maka handed to him as he placed it on the tee. "You better hold in any laughs you have if I screw this up."

Maka started to grin and shook her head. "Well don't put the thought in my head!"

After waiting for the wind to die down a bit, Soul aligned his club with the ball and swung as hard as he could. Both he and Maka watched as the ball went flying in the air before it disappeared from view.

"Where do you think it went?" Maka questioned, as she started to look through some nearby bushes and shrubs in the direction they thought the ball landed.

Soul sighed and brushed away some leaves from his hair before frowning as a thought came to him. "I think I know where it is."

Maka moved away from the bushes and followed Soul over to where he was going before giggling when she realized they were right by the miniature pond. "You think it's in the water?"

Soul nodded his head and scowled when Maka's giggling started to turn into full blown laughter. "I hope we don't have to actually go in to get it."

Soul rolled his eyes and shook his head as he moved away from the water. "Like hell we're doing that. Let's just move on to the next course."

Maka grabbed a golf club and tee and moved to set it up when Soul suddenly came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Maka felt her cheeks flush as she turned to give Soul an odd look.

"Um, what are you doing?" Maka questioned.

Soul only nuzzled into her neck even more and smirked as he felt her face start to heat up even more. "Oh, don't mind me; I'm just trying to distract you so you'll mess up."

Maka huffed and elbowed Soul lightly in annoyance. "Just because you're close to me doesn't mean I'll botch things up like you did."

Soul laughed and watched as Maka hit the ball and broke away from his grip to go see where it fell. Maka let out a groan as she eventually found her ball had gone straight into the middle of a sand dune.

"Remember Maka, you have to play from wherever it landed." Soul said with a toothy grin from behind her, causing her to growl in frustration.

After playing through about 3 courses, Soul and Maka gave up on attempting to play the game seriously and had more fun trying to at least see who could be the first one to actually get the ball into the hole.

"So, do I get some type of prize for actually managing to score a point?" Maka asked Soul with a grin, when they were finally at the 18th hole.

Soul wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "I guess you are deserving of a reward, even if you did almost hit that guy a few rounds back."

Maka frowned and looked away in embarrassment. "I wish you didn't remind me of that."

Soul shrugged and guided them back towards the rental area. "You know I don't pass up on opportunities to tease you."

~X~

'Alright Tsubaki, there's nothing to be nervous about. Just dial the number and hope for the best.' Tsubaki thought to herself, as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

Black Star came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. "Whoa Tsubaki, don't worry! What's the worst that can happen?

Tsubaki sighed and managed to give him a small smile as she nodded her head and dialed the agency's number and waited for it finish ringing.

Black Star watched as Tsubaki talked to the director for a few minutes before her eyes lit up and she moved her face away from the phone.

"Did they agree to it?" Black Star asked.

Tsubaki nodded her head and beamed even more as FaceTime finished connecting and allowed her to see Angela's face.

"Tsubaki, I missed you!" Look, my hair grew out a lot so now I can put I can put it in a ponytail like you do!" Angela cheered, as she swished her hair to the side to show it off.

"I've missed you too Angela and I like how it looks! Have you made any new friends?" Tsubaki asked excitedly.

Angela frowned slightly and shook her head causing Tsubaki to sigh. "Don't be sad Tsubaki; I've been keeping out of trouble at least. Have you and Maka been having fun?"

Tsubaki smiled softly and nodded her head before glancing to the side at Black Star who was gazing at the screen from the corner of his eye.

"Angela, listen; there's someone here with me that I want you to meet. I want you to be nice to him." Tsubaki stated seriously.

Angela 's frown deepened even more at the mention of a him, but nodded her head as Tsubaki scooted over and allowed Black Star to come into view.

Black Star and Angela stared at each other silently before Black Star grinned and waved to her. "Hey Angela, it's nice to finally meet you!"

Angela just looked at him up and down before scowling and looking back towards Tsubaki. "Why is that guy's hair blue?"

Tsubaki shook her head and sighed. "Angela, what did I just say about being polite?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with the color of my hair?!" Black Star retorted back.

Angela only pouted and stuck her tongue out. "Blue is an ugly color; I don't want you to spend any time around Tsubaki!"

"Why?" Black Star asked simply.

"You're going to make her forget about Mifune!" Angela snapped back, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Angela, no he isn't, just because Black Star and I are-"Tsubaki was suddenly cut off by a scream from Angela.

"Don't say it; I don't want to hear it! I knew this would happen; you going on vacation was just a way to get away from me, wasn't it?!" Angela cried out.

Tsubaki looked ready to yell back at her, but instead sighed and turned her head away from the camera as Black Star gently took the phone away from her. "Angela, Tsubaki isn't trying to abandon you just because she met me."

Angela scoffed and turned away from the camera. "Go away; I don't want Tsubaki with another guy!"

Black Star shook his head before turning the camera towards Tsubaki. "Don't you want Tsubaki to be happy? Look how sad you're making her!"

Angela sniffed a bit and calmed down as she realized how upset she was making Tsubaki. Black Star turned the camera back towards him and smiled slightly.

"So, would it be okay if you gave me a chance?" Black Star asked.

Angela stared at Black Star's grin for a moment before looking down and shaking her head. "I…I'm not ready yet."

Black Star felt his shoulders sink slightly in depression and was about to reply back, but Angela had already given the phone back to the director and ran off.

"I'm sorry about that. She's been getting better with controlling her temper, but sometimes she still has outbursts like that." The director said.

Black Star shook his head. "It's okay; we'll just have to try and talk to her again at another time."

The director nodded her head and hung up as Black Star placed the phone back down on the bed.

"She ran off again, didn't see?" Tsubaki asked, sitting up a bit in the bed and wiping a few tears away.

Black Star nodded his head and rubbed Tsubaki's hand comfortingly. "I'm sorry things didn't go as well as you wanted them to. I didn't even do a good job of controlling her anger or mine." Tsubaki murmured.

"Well actually, it wasn't all that bad. I think I can get her to still come around." Black Star said confidently.

Tsubaki smiled slightly as she leaned into his chest. "What makes you so sure?"

Black Star grinned and looked down at her before lightly tapping her nose. "You already know the answer Tsubaki; I don't give up on people important to me."

~X~

"Soul, stop it! At least wait until we get back to the room!" Maka giggled out, as Soul pressed kisses along her cheek and neck in the hallway.

"It's not like there's anyone here to see us and don't you want your reward for beating me at golf?" Soul chuckled back, poking at her sides gently.

Maka laughed and managed to open up the door back to their room and pounced onto the bed with Soul trailing behind her.

Soul smiled over her and gently entwined their fingers together. "I know I don't say it enough, but I really l like you Maka. It surprises me sometimes that you still put up with me. "

"Soul, you act as if I'm forcing myself to be around you; I like spending time with you." Maka stated back warmly.

"Even when I'm being an annoying asshole as you sometimes like to call me?" Soul asked, leaning a little closer into her.

Maka rolled her eyes, but nodded her head. "Yes, even then Soul; I still like you."

Soul grinned and tightened his grip on her fingers as he pressed their foreheads together. "That's good because I plan on keeping you up all night long again.

Maka only chuckled and moved in towards Soul as they started to kiss again. Soul had just begun to start working at the buttons of her polo top when a sudden buzzing in the air caused them to break away from each other in alarm.

"What's that noise? Is that your phone or my phone going off?" Maka asked.

Soul felt for his phone in his pocket before shaking his head. "It's your phone."

Maka pouted and grumbled as she sat up from the bed and moved a hand towards the dresser to retrieve it. "Whoever it is, they had better have a good reason to be calling."

Soul smirked and still kept an arm wrapped around her as she gave him a look before answering the phone.

"Hello?" Maka asked bluntly, trying to bite back a moan when Soul continued to press slow kisses along her neck and lightly bit at her earlobe.

"Hi Maka, it's me Papa; how is my darling daughter doing?! What took you so long to pick up the phone?" Spirit cried out cheerfully.

~x~

That's it for Chapter 19! Feedback is always appreciated and welcomed and as always, thanks for reading!


	20. Tension In The Air

Chapter 20: Tension In The Air

Maka nearly dropped her phone as she heard her father's voice on the other end. 'Damn it, of all the people to be calling at a time like this! Why didn't I check the caller ID?!' Maka thought to herself, as she gave a frustrated groan.

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka's annoyed expression and stopped kissing along her neck to listen to her conversation.

"Why are you calling me? I thought I told you I would be the one to call you; not the other way around!" Maka snapped.

Spirit paused for a moment before speaking up again nervously. "Ah… well I just wanted to check up on you! I haven't heard from you in like a month and I was getting a bit concerned."

"Everything is fine as usual; I'll tell you if anything new comes up." Maka stated simply, wanting to end their conversation as soon as possible.

Spirit sighed into the receiver, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with their chat. "Okay, well I guess it's probably late there anyways so I'll let you go-"Spirit was suddenly cut off when he heard a small squeal come from Maka.

"Soul, wait until I get off the phone; he'll hear us!" Maka hissed out, trying to shove Soul's hands away from underneath her shirt while he only laughed lowly and shook his head.

"What was that Maka?! Is there someone else in your room?" Spirit asked in alarm.

Maka rolled her eyes and quickly thought up an excuse. "No, it's just the television."

Soul chuckled at Maka's lie and tugged her closer towards him to whisper in her ear. "Maka, just hang up on him or better yet, let himhear us…"

Maka blushed and tried to push Soul away again as Spirit's voice quickly went from panic to irration. "Okay, I know you think I'm stupid Maka, but I can hear a guy's laughter somewhere nearby by you."

Maka scowled at Soul as she rubbed a hand through her hair slowly. "I'm telling you Papa, it's just the TV that you're hearing."

"Yeah, sure it is. You know, Stein told me that you and Tsubaki had been hanging around some punks, but I figured that maybe he was mistaken or that it wasn't anything really serious for me to be worried about." Spirit grumbled.

'So Stein is the reason that he's calling right now? Ugh, what exactly did he tell him?!' Maka pondered.

"You're only jumping to conclusions Papa. You know I don't like to hang around those types of guys." Maka scoffed.

"Well, of course I know that! It's just I found it a bit strange that Stein would say you were out with another guy in general. You aren't cheating on Kid or something, are you?" Spirit asked suspiciously.

Maka closed her eyes and took a deep breathe in to prevent herself from yelling. "If you must know, Kid and I broke up a long time ago and we've both moved on."

Spirit gulped audibly into the phone as he realized the impact of Maka's words. "Wait, so that means you really did hook up with some punk kid then?! Maka, your letting your hormones cloud your judgment!"

Maka clutched her phone tighter in her hand at hearing her father's complaining. "You have no business making assumptions about the people I date or hang out with when you yourself are constantly with a new woman of the week!"

Spirit went completely silent as Maka smirked victoriously on the other end. "Well, I guess you have nothing to say to that, huh?"

Spirit's voice crackled and sputtered slightly as Maka could perfectly envision that he was more than likely nervously scratching at his head or gazing at his feet trying to come up with an answer.

"Anyways, it's getting late here now as you mentioned earlier; I'm going to cuddle in bed with Soul now until I fall asleep. Goodnight." Maka said with a grin.

Spirit's fumbling of words stopped as he let out a shriek of horror. "Whoa, wait a minute Maka; who the hell is this Soul guy!? I-"Maka smiled as she cut off her father's yelling by hanging up.

Soul frowned and watched as Maka leaned over and returned her phone to the nightstand. "So… are we really only going to be just snuggling now?"

Maka stared at him blankly and nodded her head. "Uh, well not only did he ruin the moment, but the thought just occurred to me that telling him your name like that will make him want to kill you as soon as we get back home."

Soul shrugged, but then started to smirk again as he pulled them both back onto the bed to lie down. "If your dad is going to attempt to murder me, then I guess I should get in as much time with you as possible. That should make you change your mind on just cuddling…"

Maka let of a sigh of pleasure as Soul started to slowly caress one hand along her stomach and up towards her bra. "I can't believe you suggested we do this with my Dad still on the other end."

Soul chuckled as he moved to press a kiss to Maka's cheek before gazing at her wickedly. "Hey, at least he now knows that his daughter has a healthy libido!" Soul finished, as Maka grabbed a nearby pillow and hit him straight in the face.

~X~

"What the hell is wrong with you two? Did you not get any sleep last night?" Black Star questioned Soul and Maka over lunch the next day.

Maka yawned and rubbed her eyes lazily. "My stupid Papa called me." 'Though I guess him calling isn't the main reason why I'm so sleepy right now.'

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at the mention of Maka's dad. "What was he asking about?"

Maka sighed and shook her head. "He just wanted to check up on me to make sure I was okay. I'm actually more annoyed by the fact that Stein apparently told him about our relationships."

"I don't think he actually told him about us Maka; he just knows that we've hung out before." Soul stated, as he tiredly leaned his head back.

"You two have done way more than just hang out…" Black Star chuckled as Tsubaki shook her head at Black Star's joking.

"Well, we're heading back to the mainland of Spain a little later on today. Perhaps you can call him or Marie to clear up the situation." Tsubaki suggested.

Maka nodded her head as she finished eating her rice. "Of course I plan to do that. It's been awhile since we've talked to either of them and I need to know how much he's been telling my Dad!"

"What time is our flight at; don't we need to start packing up soon?" Black Star suddenly asked.

Maka gained a slight look of surprise that Black Star actually wanted to be on time for once, but pulled out her phone to recheck the flight information.

"We leave here at about 1:15 pm and should arrive back at Barcelona at around 2:30, though that doesn't include the time it will take to get our luggage and get back to the hotel." Maka explained, as she read over and double checked everything.

Black Star sulked as Maka finished detailing their plans for the rest of the day. "Dang that technically means we probably won't be back and settled at the hotel until at least maybe 4:00 if everything is on time."

Maka shrugged, but nodded her head. "It's not like you had anything else planned for today."

After everyone finished up their lunch, they all headed back to their rooms to pack up and head to the airport.

Tsubaki smiled as she peeked over her seat to check on Maka and Soul and found them both slumbering.

"It didn't take them that long to fall asleep, did it?" Black Star questioned from beside her.

Tsubaki sat back down properly and nodded her head. "They must be going at it like every night if they're this sleepy."

Black Star laughed at Tsubaki's choice of words as he leaned back in his seat and put his headphones on.

"You know, I was browsing through all the photos I've taken since this vacation started and look what I still have." Black Star stated, as he handed his phone to Tsubaki.

Tsubaki glanced down at the photo and saw that it was Soul and Maka sleeping on each other in the back of a car. Tsubaki stared at the picture for a bit longer before remembering when it had been taken.

"Oh, this is from when we went to Tarragona, right? That seems like such a long time ago now." Tsubaki mused.

Black Star nodded his head as he accepted his phone back. "I can't believe I still have it since I had been deleting some duplicate photos recently. Probably a good thing I missed this one though because it can still make for some good blackmail."

Tsubaki beamed as Black Star continued to browse through some pictures and snicker at a few of them before her smile began to slip.

"Black Star, are you still-"Tsubaki trailed off and sighed when she realized she couldn't get her words together properly.

"Am I still what?" Black Star questioned, turning towards her and giving her his full attention now.

Tsubaki blushed slightly and shook her head as she looked down. "Ah, never mind; it's nothing."

Black Star narrowed his eyes as he reached a hand out to gently lifted Tsubaki's chin. "Tsubaki, tell me what's bothering you."

When Tsubaki didn't say anything back, Black Star only sighed and started to smirk a bit. "Well, if you won't tell me what's bugging you in words, I guess I'll have to try using action."

Tsubaki's face reddened even more as Black Star started to lean into her before Black Star's seat was suddenly kicked from behind causing him to slam his head against the seat in front of him.

"Ouch! What the hell Maka?!" Black Star snapped out, as he got up from his seat to glare at her.

Maka only smiled in amusement at Black Star's pissed off expression. "Oh, I'm sorry; was I interrupting your moment with Tsubaki?"

"Well no duh! What did I even do to deserve that?" Black Star growled out.

Maka pretended to rub her chin thoughtfully before turning towards Soul who answered for her. "I don't know, maybe because you dumped water on us and ruined our moment just the other day?"

Black Star scowled as he rubbed his sore cheek and chin. "Geez, you two certainly like to hold grudges over simple stuff. You shouldn't try to start a game of revenge with me though!"

"Oh, stop whining and just accept that we got you." Maka stated with a roll of her eyes, as she started to ignore Black Star's gloating causing him to get even angrier.

Tsubaki sighed as she leaned her head against her palm and watched as Black Star eventually calmed down and turned back around.

"I'm definitely using that picture for blackmail now." Black Star grumbled underneath his breath, as he went back to the photo and saved it to his album.

'Maybe it's a good thing that Maka interrupted us. I'm not sure Black Star would have been honest with me if I asked him if he was still upset over the incident with Angela…' Tsubaki mused, before moving to grab a magazine to distract her mind for the rest of the flight.

~X~

Maka stretched her arms out comfortably as she admired the view of the sea against the afternoon sun. "Back at our home away from home again."

Tsubaki grinned in agreement as she grabbed some bottled water from the fridge. "Do you think it was a good idea to only book two rooms this time though?"

Maka turned towards Tsubaki and nodded her head. "We only have a little over a month left to go now; we rather as well just save as much money as possible and continue to share a room with them. Why, do you think we should have kept to our separate rooms as before?"

Tsubaki shook her head as she finished taking a gulp from her drink. "No, you're right. When do plan to call Marie by the way?"

Maka glanced over at the wall clock and saw that it was already 4:30. "I think we should wait until tomorrow. They're probably just getting off work now or preparing to leave."

Tsubaki nodded her head as she smoothed out the ruffles in her indigo top. "We've been on the go all day anyways; I could use a nap after we go get something to eat."

Maka tapped her fingers along the counter top before sighing. "I'm sorry I interrupted your moment with Black Star earlier. I admit that was immature of me. "

Tsubaki blinked in confusion before laughing lightly. "Oh, don't worry about that Maka. I'm actually kind of glad you distracted us. "

Maka gave her a bewildered look so Tsubaki continued on. "I wanted to ask Black Star if Angela not liking him upset him, but I couldn't get the words out."

"Hmm, well judging from how Black Star likes to behave, I would assume that he would pretend that it didn't really bother him to not make you worry." Maka speculated.

Tsubaki groaned softly at Maka's assumption. "That's what I figured too. I really want him and Angela to get along, but it's not like I can force Angela to apologize or like him. It even took me awhile to actually stop being annoyed by his personality also."

Maka beamed and moved to comfortably pat Tsubaki on her shoulder. "Stressing about it like this won't help you. I think you should talk things over with Black Star on how to proceed with Angela and make her feel more comfortable around him."

Tsubaki smiled slightly as she nodded her head at Maka's advice. "How are you going to deal with your Dad possibly interfering with you and Soul?"

"Tsubaki, this is my Dad we're talking about; he doesn't like anyone I date. It took him forever to stop thinking negatively of Kid and even then, remember how he still liked to follow us on our dates?" Maka said with a snort.

"Still, he can be pretty crafty when he gets serious about doing something." Tsubaki replied back.

Maka rolled her eyes and was about to respond back, but a knock at the door stopped her.

Tsubaki checked to see who it was through the peephole before opening up the door and allowing Soul and Black Star to come in.

"Hey, are you two done unpacking yet? Soul and I are ready to go check out the restaurants." Black Star said, as he glanced around.

"We're pretty much done here, so I guess we can head out now." Maka responded, peering towards Tsubaki to make sure she was ready also.

As everyone walked down the hall, Soul noticed that Maka was trailing behind all of them and slowed his pace down.

"Why are you walking so slowly? You're going to get left behind if you don't start walking up." Soul questioned tauntingly.

Maka blinked and shook her head slightly as she was snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh, oh yeah I'm coming, you don't need to rush me."

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka's odd behavior. "Are you feeling alright? Or is it just the hunger getting to you?"

Maka huffed and moved to slam her fist on Soul's head, but to her surprise, Soul quickly grabbed her hand before she could land the blow.

"Tsk Tsk Maka. Trying the same move twice in the row and thinking I won't catch on, though I guess you're feeling okay if you're still willing to hit me." Soul said with a smirk.

Maka huffed and started to blush when Soul refused to let go of her hand as they began to start walking again. After waiting for a few minutes, Maka tried to sneak a glance over at Soul and flushed even more when she saw that Soul met her gaze.

"Trying to secretly check me out too? I know it can be hard for you to resist me sometimes, but you'll have to control yourself for now." Soul stated cheekily.

Maka gave him a cynical look as she moved her opposite hand to lightly punch his arm. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Hey, save whatever you two are doing for later and catch up to us!" Black Star yelled out from down the hall, causing a few people to give him a strange look and whisper to each other.

Both Maka and Soul frowned at the scene Black Star was causing and rushed down the hall before he could start yelling out anything else.

'I know Papa liked to go overboard on his spying and protectiveness when I dated Kid, but surely he can't really try anything since I'm away in another country. There's nothing for me to worry about.' Maka reasoned to herself, grinning as they finally reached the chain of restaurants.

~X~

Back in Death City:

"Come on, I know you're holding information from me! Surely you've seen this Soul guy around at least once if my daughter is apparently dating him." Spirit griped out to Kid.

Kid rubbed his forehead and sighed as he tried to calmly explain himself again. "I told you already, I honestly don't know anything about him besides his name. I don't think he even went to Death City High."

Spirit pouted before he suddenly brightened as an idea came to him. "Is your Dad home? He might know something since he does have to do meetings with the principals at all the high schools in the city."

Kid frowned and shook his head. "Father is away on business so he won't be of any help to you. Why not just wait until Maka gets home to let her explain herself?"

"That will take too long! There has to be someone in this city who knows about this guy, but thanks for your help anyways." Spirit grumbled, as he turned around and moved to head back down the sidewalk.

Kid sighed and watched as Spirit left before closing back his door. As soon as he turned back around, he was greeted by Liz giving him an annoyed look.

"What's with that face?" Kid asked curiously.

Liz only scowled and brushed away a blonde lock from her face. "I don't see why you had to cover for Maka like that. It's not like it will benefit her in the long run since her dad will still be searching for Soul no matter what."

Kid shrugged and leaned his back against the door. "Well, I know how much of a strained relationship Maka has with her Dad and besides, it's not like I could have told him much seeing as I didn't even meet Soul in person."

"True, but if you had told him that Soul has white hair and red eyes, he could have tracked him down in a second." Liz mused, as she gazed at her newly glossed fingernails.

'Liz has been even more hostile towards Maka ever since that Skype conversation and I don't know exactly why.' Kid pondered, as he moved to head back upstairs before scowling as he noticed something from the corner of his eyes. "Okay Liz, which one of you thought it would be funny to make all the picture frames crooked again?"

'Dang it, I've literally gotten nowhere in finding any clues about that Soul guy. Now that I think about it, Stein didn't really give me much to go by besides saying that Maka had spent time around a guy, not necessarily this one. Maka already barely talks to me as is and demanding answers will just make her hate even more!' Spirit sighed, as he mulled over his situation.

"I guess heading over to ChupaCabras might make me feel better." Spirit muttered quietly, as he entered into the club. Since it was only around midday and not the weekend, not many people were inside as Spirit sat down at his usual barstool.

"Hi, it's not often we get customers at this time of day! How can I help you?" A waitress asked.

Spirit glanced away from the collection of fine wines and gaped at the woman. 'She must be new. This is my first time seeing her knowing how often I come here.' Spirit thought, trying to hide his lecherous smile as he gazed over her uniform of a short black mini skirt and top with ChupaCabras logo on it.

Blair smirked as she watched Spirit try to discreetly wipe some drool away from his lips before she noticed. 'I knew taking this summer job here would be quick and easy money for me to past the time. It just sucks that Wes had to leave so soon for New York once we came back home.'

"I'll just take a glass of whiskey to start things off." Spirit said, breaking Blair out of her thoughts. Blair nodded her head and went to go make his drink before bringing it back and sitting down next to him.

Spirit grinned as Blair scooted her seat closer to him. "So, what brings you to the bar during the early afternoon hours?"

Spirit took a gulp from his drink before setting it down and sighing. "I've been all over town trying to find out anything I can on this new guy my daughter is apparently dating. I just decided to take a small break and come here."

Blair arched an eyebrow at that as she looked Spirit over. While he didn't look exactly old, he didn't fit the typical idea she had of a father.

"Hmm, maybe I've seen her around before and can give you an idea of who she might be with." Blair suggested, trying to cheer Spirit up.

Spirit grinned as he nodded his head excitedly and pulled out his wallet. "Maybe you have! I don't have many pictures of her, but this one could help you."

Spirit handed over the photo to Blair for her to examine. Blair's eyes widened in shock as she gazed at the photo of Maka taken what looked like a few years ago. 'His daughter is Maka?!'

"I know that one isn't really recent, but she still keeps her hair in pigtails like that and she likes to hang around bookstores just like the one there." Spirit explained.

Blair only silently nodded her head as she pondered over the position she was in. 'I could easily tell him all I know about Soul right now, but I'm sure that will come back to bite me in the ass just like before and I'm not dealing with a swollen face again or worse. Hmm, perhaps I could indirectly get even though by letting her Dad cause all the trouble this time. It's not like I'll have to deal with another David and Victor scenario that way…'

"I know the guy you're looking for." Blair finally piped up, as she came to a decision.

"You do?! You're not just joking around me, right?" Spirit questioned overjoyed.

Blair shook her head. "We used to hang out a bit; I can give you the address to his parent's place if you're really that curious to know about him."

Spirit nodded his head fervently as Blair wrote down the address on a napkin and handed it to him. Spirit looked over the address before reaching out to give Blair a hug.

"Wow, I can't believe coming here actually solved my problems for once! How can I ever thank you?" Spirit asked, as he hopped up from his seat.

Blair moved to cautiously cover her nametag before Spirit saw it and gave him a cutesy smile. "Oh, just tip me extra and we'll call it even."

After Spirit paid for his drink and extra, Blair watched as he practically skipped down the street gleefully with a smug smile. 'At least I got a regular customer out of this.'

'I wonder how much information I'll really be able to get on this guy. Maka would chop me straight into the cement if she knew what I was doing, but I don't want to risk her getting hurt by this guy and that means getting a background check on him.' Spirit mused, as he typed the address into his phone to start getting the directions.

~X~

"Maka, is that you? It's good to be hearing from you again!" Marie said with a smile as the two Face Timed each other during the early morning hour around 8 o clock.

Maka laughed lightly and nodded her head. "Sorry Tsubaki and I missed some of your calls. We took a mini getaway to Tenerife."

"Tenerife? Oh, you mean the Canary Islands! That's so romantic, what brought that on?" Marie asked curiously.

Maka blushed and moved the camera towards Soul who was still asleep in bed before turning it back towards herself. "We wanted to celebrate getting back together with the guys."

Marie was about to squeal loudly at that, but Maka quickly shushed her to keep her voice down so that Soul wouldn't hear her. "Oh, I knew your break up wouldn't last that long and to think Stein didn't believe it would work out!"

"Speaking of Stein, I need to talk to him. Can you get him to come here?" Maka asked, her tone getting slightly irate.

Marie looked puzzled to Maka's sudden change in attitude, but called Stein over as he moved into view of the camera and set down his coffee mug.

"Good morning, is there something that you need?" Stein inquired, as he turned the screw in his head and pushed his lab coat aside.

Maka scowled at Stein's laidback behavior. "Don't give me that; you know why I called you over! What exactly have you been telling my Dad about Soul and me?"

Stein grinned as he realized what Maka was talking about. "Oh, that. Don't worry; all I told him was that you and Tsubaki hung out with some guys. I didn't even give his name or a description."

"You shouldn't have told him anything in the first place though! Geez, you of all people should know how annoying he can be when it comes to things like this." Maka complained. 'And I probably made things even worse by slipping his name out; Soul isn't exactly a common name so it would be easy for him to look it up…'

"I have to agree with Maka on this. Why would you tell him about their relationship?" Marie asked from the side.

Stein glanced in her direction and shrugged. "He kept bugging me about it so I finally gave him some type of answer to appease him."

Maka fiddled with a loose string on her striped pajamas before sighing. "I'm just hoping he won't blow things out of proportion, but that's probably just wishful thinking on my part."

Marie came back into view of the camera and pushed Stein aside slightly. "Well, what's done is done now. How about Stein and I take you all out to another activity today to get your mind off that?"

"I feel like we've pretty much done every interesting activity by now." Maka yawned out.

Marie shook her head as she pulled out a flyer. "They have this discount on a game of paintball if you feel like that might help get your stress and anger out."

Maka grimaced a little as she remembered the last time she had played paintball with all her friends back in Death City.

"I don't know about that; paintball can get really messy and painful if you aren't really concentrating." Maka considered.

"I'm sure they'll provide protective gear for you guys to use if that's of a concern to you. Anyways, just let us know if you're up for it by lunchtime so we can reserve a time." Marie stated, as Maka waved goodbye and hung up.

Maka set her phone back down and quietly snuggled back into bed sheets. Soul opened one crimson eye sleepily as he watched her try to get comfortable.

"Who was that you were talking to?" He asked drowsily.

"Just Stein and Marie, they wanted to know if we would be up for paintball later on." Maka murmured out.

Soul rubbed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yeah, that sounds cool with me."

Maka smiled as Soul gently pulled her towards his chest. "You could have spoken up earlier if you were awake this whole time."

"You were handling things just fine though. Now, let's get a little more rest; it's too early to be up." Soul stated.

~X~

"Alright, so we're going to make this be a game of capture the flag. The rules are pretty basic; whichever team is able to eliminate all the other teams' players or capture their flag and return it to their base is the winner." Stein explained.

"I'm surprised you guys want to play with us also. Usually you two like to just sit on the sidelines while we go do the activity." Maka chuckled.

Marie pouted at Maka's joke. "You make it sound as if we're old Maka!"

Maka laughed and shook her head as she put on the rental head gear and outfit. "We're going to get so sweaty in these clothes."

Tsubaki nodded her head next to her as she strapped on the boots. "I feel like we're going into a warzone with these camouflage outfits."

"You two better not be thinking of giving up before the game even starts! I don't want this to be an easy win." Black Star snapped out, as he broke into their conversation.

Maka smirked as she sat up from the bench to get a paintball gun. "Like hell, I'm giving up that easily! Soul, are you ready to go? We need to come up with some battle tactics."

Soul rolled his eyes as he got up and followed Maka to some trees a few meters away so Black Star wouldn't listen on them. "I think you're taking this game a bit too seriously."

Once everyone had formed a strategic plan, they all set out into the wooded area. Maka and Soul had decided that Soul would guard the flag while Maka would hide in the bushes to search for anyone coming. Black Star and Tsubaki's plan was similar, except that Tsubaki had taken to hiding in the trees to get a better scope of the whole area.

The only people who didn't really come up with a plan were Stein and Marie who were both just guarding their flag on opposite ends.

"This game has been going on for like 30 minutes now. I feel like they decided to attack each other and just ignore us." Stein questioned aloud.

Marie shushed him as she gazed carefully around for any sudden movements. "Don't be so impatient. The fun in playing this game is that you never know when something will happen-"Marie was suddenly cut off as a bright splatter of orange paint hit her.

Stein turned around in alarm to look for who hit Marie, but got hit with a splat of red paint as soon as he moved.

"Yahoo, you two made that way too easy! You should have come up with a better plan than that!" Black Star cheered out, as he moved to grab their flag.

"Black Star, keep your voice down; Soul and Maka will hear us!" Tsubaki scolded.

Black Star quickly covered his mouth as he nodded his head before lowering his voice. "Oh crap, you're right. They've been too quiet lately also."

Meanwhile, Maka and Soul gave each other a look at hearing Black Star's voice echo in the field. "You heard that, right?" Maka asked him.

Soul nodded his head as he clutched his rifle closer to him. "That means that they're coming after us next."

Maka silently agreed as they both went on guard. About an hour later, Maka was considering trying to just head into their territory, but before she could voice her idea to Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki ambushed them.

Soul and Maka quickly put up their rifles as Black Star and Tsubaki did the same. "Okay you two, we can do this the easy way or the hard way; what's it going to be?" Black Star asked with a grin.

"We're not going down without a fight!" Maka hissed out. As soon as Maka finished her statement, everyone pulled their triggers and unleashed an explosion of colors.

Back at the entranceway, Stein and Marie were casually eating their lunch before gaping as they saw their group return.

"What caused this to happen; did you guys just want to use up all the paint?!" Marie questioned with shock and worry.

Stein grinned as he shook his head. "I think they all just got a bit to trigger happy."

Maka laughed as she wiped away some yellow paint from her mask so that she could see properly. "We're fine. Though I guess we don't really know who actually won because we basically all hit each other at the same time."

After changing out of the gear and cleaning up, Maka and the others sat down for lunch also.

"Are you okay Tsubaki, it looks like a nasty bruise is developing on your shoulder there." Black Star asked, as he pointed to the target shaped mark.

Tsubaki glanced at the bruise before nodding her head." I've dealt with worse than this. Besides, I don't think any of us came out of that without getting some type of bruise."

Black Star smiled in relief as he took a bite of his sandwich. "That's good. By the way, what was it you wanted to tell me when we were back on the plane the other day before we were so rudely interrupted?" He asked, as he sent a side glare towards Soul and Maka sitting further down.

Tsubaki nearly choked on her sandwich in shock. 'I figured he had forgotten all about that.'

"Um, well I was just wondering if it bothered you that Angela still has a hard time trusting you." Tsubaki murmured.

Black Star blinked in confusion before shrugging. "I'll admit that it does a little, but there's nothing we can really do to change it right now."

Tsubaki shook her head as a determined look came into her eyes. "Maybe not right now, but I've been thinking of some ideas and I wanted to run them by you to see if you were okay with them."

Black Star arched an eyebrow as he set his sandwich down before smirking. "Well, I'm up for anything at this point pretty much."

Tsubaki grinned and nodded her head. "Good, because this time I think we'll be able to get Angela to open up if we try a different approach."

"Hey, if you guys are all done eating now, we can start getting ready to head back to the hotel now." Stein piped up.

"And at least make sure you guys weren't injured that badly." Marie added in with a smile.

~X~

Back in Death City, Spirit frowned as he gazed around where his directions had taken him. "Is this really the right place? I've never even been to this side of town."

Spirit glanced down at his business casual attire before shrugging. 'Even though this looks like a rich neighborhood, I don't think I stand out too much…'

Spirit cautiously walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. After waiting for a few minutes, a butler came to the door and looked Spirit over with a look of contempt.

"Can I help you sir?" He asked coldly.

"Ah, well I'm looking for the Evans household. Is this the right place?" Spirit asked.

The butler arched an eyebrow before nodding his head. "What business do you have with Mr. and Mrs. Evans?"

"It's important concerning their son Soul." Spirit explained, hoping that would convince the man to let him in.

The butler frowned and mulled over what he should do before he nodding his head and stepping aside. "I'll inform them of your presence; just wait here in the foyer.

Spirit nodded his head as he stepped inside and glanced around at all the expensive furniture and high end items.

'I definitely wasn't expecting to be greeted with stuff like this.' Spirit mused, before Mr. Evans came into view.

"What's this about my son?" He questioned bitterly and straight to the point.

Spirit gulped nervously before straightening up as he remembered who he was doing this for. "I have reason to believe that your son is dating my daughter and I want to know more about him before they get any more serious."

~x~

That's it for Chapter 20! Let me know your thoughts with a review and as always, thanks for reading!


	21. Into An Endless Night

Chapter 21: Into An Endless Night

"What do you mean my son is dating your daughter?" Mr. Evans asked with an arched eyebrow, once they were all sitting down in the living room. 'And how does this complete stranger even know about him?'

Spirit cleared his throat as he tried not to let the irration and annoyance in Mr. Evan's voice get to him. "Well, I was on the phone with my daughter earlier and she mentioned being with a guy named Soul so I asked around a bit in order to find-"

Mrs. Evans cut Spirit off with a scoff. "I'm sorry, but I find all of this a bit hard to believe. My husband and I haven't even been in contact with our son since basically his high school graduation and you mean to tell me that you, some random meager looking fellow may know where he is?"

Mr. Evans scowled at his wife's behavior and lightly elbowed her. "Laura, be polite; this man may actually know something."

"Dear, what can this man tell us that we couldn't possibly pry out of Wes?" She retorted back, lowering her voice so that Spirit wouldn't hear them.

"For one, I'm pretty sure that Wes is just covering for Soul to prevent us from finding out where he went off to and second, I think this guy really does know something and we should hear him out." He replied back in a whisper.

Laura huffed, but reluctantly nodded her head as they both turned back towards Spirit who was warily twiddling his thumbs and gazing at some nearby portraits to not interrupt them.

"I apologize for how I acted earlier; please continue with what you were saying." Laura said, as she smoothed out some crinkles in her velvet blue dress and put on a cheery smile.

Spirit nodded his head as he straightened up in his seat. "Ah well to make a long story short, my daughter went on a summer vacation to Spain with her friend and I think she met Soul there at some point where they eventually started dating."

Laura's eye's widened as she turned towards her husband who only growled under his breath and tightened his fists.

"He's been in a completely different country this whole time?!" He hissed out.

Laura patted her husband's hand to help him calm down. "Andrew, this at least explains why Wes said it wouldn't be easy for us to find him."

"I'm sorry I don't really know much else besides that. I actually came here to try to get more information on your son." Spirit spoke up, uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

Andrew gave Spirit a look of scorn before sighing and looking away. "All you need to know about my son is that he has a rebellious and aloof attitude that I figured we could break out of him before he went off for college…"

'That doesn't really tell me anything except that he could be a bad influence on my Maka! By the way his parents are acting right now though; I doubt I'll really get any more out of them. I guess I'll have to pressure Stein and Marie for answers again.' Spirit mused, as he watched Mr. Evans get up and pace around the living room deep in thought before realizing he was still there.

"Thank you for the information you have provided my wife and I today Mr.-"Andrew cut himself off, not knowing Spirit's name.

"Oh, my last name is Albarn, but you can call me Spirit." Spirit stated, as he moved to shake his hand.

Andrew nodded his head as he shook his hand. "Well, if you excuse us; my wife and I have a lot to discuss with each other over this new predicament."

Spirit blinked in confusion before realizing that they wanted to him to leave and quickly took a step back. "Oh, of course! Um, I'll let you know if I find out anything else."

Andrew said nothing back as the Evan's butler came up back behind Spirit and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll escort you out now." He said calmly, as the two left the area.

Spirit gave one last side glance to the couple before turning back around. 'I might not like this Soul guy hanging around my precious Maka, but I can see why he would want to get away from his parents if that's how they always act…'

Laura sighed as she heard the front door open and close before giving her husband a look. "So, how should we proceed now? Summer is basically over with it being the last week in July already."

Andrew frowned as he rubbed his forehead to relieve the growing headache he was getting. "That damn boy thinks that by running off he can get out of his music lessons we had planned for him and attending Julliard! We should have asked that guy if he knew where he was staying at so we could have at least called the hotel since Soul won't answer any of our messages."

"It's probably for the best we don't immediately act on the information that we found out. Soul will only block us out even further if we confront him so soon." Laura considered.

Andrew scoffed as he shoved his hands into his suit pockets. "What do you suggest we do then? We can't just let him continue to behave like this and ruin the Evan's name possibly!"

Laura only smiled and shook her head. "You know I'm not suggesting that we just sit here, but we need to plan things out first and get Soul to break this negative attitude he has once and for all."

"I'm assuming that you already got a few ideas in mind then?" Andrew asked with a grin.

Laura nodded her head and smirked as she went to grab her Coach purse. "It's going to probably involve a few bribes here and there, but I'm sure we'll find out all we need to know on where Soul is staying at and the girl he's dating."

~X~

"Black Star, wake up; if you sleep any longer the restaurants will eventually all close up for the night. Tsubaki said, as she lightly shook his shoulder.

Black Star drowsily opened one eye before stretching his arms out and sitting up. "Man, that game of paintball tired me out more than I thought it would."

Tsubaki smiled and reached a hand out to brush some of his light blue hair out of his face. "Yeah, I'm still feeling a little sore also, but we should at least go get some dinner."

Black Star nodded his head as he moved out of bed to grab his shoes. "Where do you want to eat at?"

Tsubaki shrugged as she brushed her hair back into its usual ponytail. "Anywhere is fine by me really."

Once Black Star and Tsubaki had chosen a restaurant, they chose to sit out on the patio to enjoy the rest of the sunset and cool air.

Black Star admired the light glow the sunset casted on Tsubaki's face before remembering what she had told him earlier regarding Angela.

"So, let's go over this plan you had involving Angela; I want to make sure we don't mess anything up when we finally call the agency again."

Tsubaki looked away from the sea to face Black Star and nodded her head. "I think the main problem that we made last time was kind of just throwing our relationship at her and trying to get her to accept too many things at once."

"Angela is really into things like witches and magic, which I think is one of the reasons why the other kids consider her to be weird and treat her as an outcast. Maybe if we could somehow bring her interests up when we talk to her, she would start to feel more comfortable." Tsubaki continued on.

Black Star didn't reply back immediately as he mulled over Tsubaki's idea. "That could work; we should check out the gift shops in the hotel to see if they have any charms that I can use to catch her attention before she goes making fun of my hair again."

Tsubaki laughed lightly at Black Star's mention of his hair. "Well, I don't want us to go trying to bribe her because then she'll act even more spoiled or bratty and are you really that upset that she thought your hair was weird?"

Black Star huffed as he put his head in his palm. "Well, even though I don't need people to actually tell me how awesome or handsome I look every day, I would have appreciated if she had kept that comment to herself."

'I guess that kind of answered my question and it was in a typical Black Star response anyways.' Tsubaki mused, as their orders finally arrived.

"Hey, did Soul and Maka already eat dinner?" Black Star asked, as he started to cut into his steak.

Tsubaki looked up from her grilled chicken to think it over before nodding her head. "I think they went to eat earlier since Maka had told me she had been feeling a little woozy after the game had ended."

Black Star snorted at the thought of Maka feeling tired. "Maka isn't the type of person to feel so faint after one little game like that. I bet her old man calling her is still bugging her."

Tsubaki sighed, but couldn't help but agree with Black Star's point. "I think what mainly troubles Maka is that he meddled where it wasn't necessary and she can't do anything about it."

Black Star shrugged and he finished taking a bite from the steak. "If that's the case, then she should try to let things blow over quietly and not bring it up again if he calls back. It's not like she can undo the damage he's already done."

~X~

Soul scowled as he turned on the lights and watched as Maka tossed and turned on their shared bed. "Can you please stop overreacting and moving around so much; it's already close to midnight now! I really doubt your dad can cause that much trouble."

Maka turned over from her position on the bed and fixed Soul with a glare. "You don't know my Papa the way I do. By now, he could have found where you live and vandalized it or something…"

Soul rolled his eyes as he moved a hand to messily toss Maka's hair causing her to give him a pout. "Maka, you're worrying way too much about something you can't even change. Are you trying to make yourself even more exhausted?"

Maka sighed and shook her head as Soul pulled her towards his chest. "You would feel much more relaxed if you were just indifferent towards people like me."

Maka arched an eyebrow as she leaned up from his chest. "You're always acting indifferent towards everyone; do you feel you have to act that way with me too?"

Soul grinned crookedly and moved to press a light kiss to her forehead. "Okay maybe not everyone, but you get my point."

Maka smiled lightly and nodded her head as Soul tugged her back in. 'I think all of Maka's stress over this really is making her sick. She's starting to even feel slightly warm.' Soul thought with a frown.

Soul adjusted their position on the bed as he leaned the both of them back against the bed's pillows. "We don't have to go anywhere tomorrow; we can just spend another day at the hotel again. That way we can both get enough rest before doing some other strenuous activity."

Maka narrowed her eyes at Soul's suggestion and scoffed slightly. "Geez Soul, I never thought you would consider paintball to be under the category of a "strenuous" activity."

Soul said nothing back as Maka felt him tighten his arms around her. "You're lucky that you don't feel too good right now or I would make a smartass remark to that."

Maka gave him a side glance and smirked. "Oh, go ahead and say it. I'm never too sleepy or weak to give you a Maka-chop when you deserve it!"

Soul yawned and shook his head as he closed back his eyes. "No, that's okay. I would prefer to not deal with a headache on top of the sore muscles I already have."

Maka watched Soul for a moment before slowly leaning over to turn back off the lights and settle in the bed.

"Paintball might not have been that tough to you, but you still whined a bit when I cleaned and disinfected your cuts." Soul grumbled out in the darkness.

"I heard that." Maka replied back smugly, poking Soul in a spot where she knew a bruise was.

~X~

"Dear, what exactly are we doing at a bank? I figured the first place we go to find any information would be Soul's apartment." Andrew stated in confusion.

Laura smiled and shook her head as she dragged her husband by the arm inside the bank. "That can be our second stop, but first we needed to get to the bank before it closes."

"You still haven't explained why we came to the bank in the first place though." He replied back, as they both got into line.

Laura shifted through her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper with some numbers written on it. "Well, it's quite simple really. Remember how we helped set up a joint bank account for Soul even though he was against the idea and wanted to handle his money on his own?"

Andrew nodded his head, still not completely understanding where his wife was going with this before it clicked. "Oh, I see why we're here now! We can find out what transactions he's made with his credit card perhaps."

"Exactly, I'm sure this way we'll be able to see and track where and what he's been spending his money on." Laura replied back, as she they both eventually reached the front of the line and asked the employee for a bank statement.

After the bank statement was printed out, Andrew and Laura looked over it carefully and frowned as they realized there wasn't much on it for them to use.

"I think Soul must have considered all the possibilities of us finding him because the only items on here are things he bought while he was in high school." Andrew reasoned, as he read over everything.

Laura sighed and almost crumpled up the paper, but instead placed it into her purse silently. "I didn't think Soul would plan ahead like this, but he is technically an adult now so he probably created his own bank account at some point to block us out."

"That leaves us with checking his apartment then, though I doubt they'll just let us into his room freely." Andrew said, once they were both back on the sidewalk outside the bank.

"We're both prepared for that scenario." Laura answered back with a grin. As the two of them started to walk down the street, both Laura and Andrew couldn't help but notice the few odd looks people passing by gave them as they walked.

"Humph, if I knew people were going to give us looks like this, I would have taken the car out." Laura muttered, as she clutched her dark gray cardigan closer to herself.

"It's because we're wearing clothes that they probably could never afford. Let's pay them no mind; they're more than likely just jealous." Andrew replied back smoothly.

After walking for about 20 minutes, Andrew and Laura finally made it to Soul and Black Star's apartment.

"I can't believe our son chooses to live in a place like this. He knows he can afford better accommodations than this, doesn't he?" Laura asked aloud with a sneer.

Andrew shrugged and shook his head with a sigh as he glanced at some of the fading paint on the walls. "It's because that annoying friend of his who never stops bragging about himself wanted to stay here."

"Hello, how can I help you two?" The manager asked, interrupting their conversation.

Laura put on her best fake smile to hide her growing frustration. "Yes, our son Soul Evans stays in this apartment and my husband and I were wondering if we could do a check in on his room."

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot just let you into his room if he's not there." The manager replied back.

Laura sighed and turned around to give her husband a look while he nodded his head and pulled out his wallet. "Alright, how much is it going to take to get us in there?" He asked lowly.

'Why do so many people want to go to these two guys' rooms?! First it was that purple haired girl and her friend and now it's his parents. I've never had this type of issue before with the other tenants when they go on vacation…' The manager thought to himself.

"I'm not going to accept your money, sir. Wouldn't it be for the best that you try to reach your son another way?" He asked as politely as he could.

Andrew growled and slammed his fist against the desktop, startling a few people lounging in the area. "Don't you think I've already tried out that possibility?! Now, do you want me to put in some phone calls to your boss or are you just going to make things easier on yourself?"

The manager gulped nervously at the threat and quickly handed him the master key. "Their room is the on the second floor; the first door on the right."

Andrew smirked and accepted the key before signaling to Laura to follow him upstairs. The manager sighed as he watched them go before returning back to work. 'I should have just accepted the money bribe while I still had the chance, but it's not like I can do anything about that now…'

"Have you found anything yet?" Laura asked with a huff, as she searched Soul's room for something that could give them a lead to where exactly he was in Spain.

"No, they really cleaned this place out pretty much." Andrew replied back, as he stepped back in from the living room.

Laura pouted and sat down on Soul's half made bed as she looked over what she found. "All I've gotten out of my search is some old food wrappers I found underneath his bed. Oh, I've gotten so dirty from doing this; we shouldn't have to go to such lengths just to find out where Soul is!"

Andrew stared down at the small pile of trash Laura had collected before shaking his head and reaching out towards one of the wrappers. "Wait a minute Laura, not all of this is complete trash. Look, this one apparently has some phone numbers and companies written on it."

Laura moved the rest of the trash aside and as the two of them read aloud the information. "Renaissance Hotel Barcelona, Majestic Hotel Barcelona, Hotel Arts Barcelona…Oh dear, Soul might be staying at one of these hotels!"

Andrew nodded his head in victory as he glanced at his watch before scowling. "I'm afraid we're going to have to wait on trying out these phone numbers though. It's more than likely the middle of the night there."

Laura nodded her head in agreement as she stood up from Soul's bed and brushed herself off. "That's fine by me. I could use a good shower anyways after getting all this sweat and dust on me."

~X~

"Tsubaki, what do you think of this? I'm sure Angela might like this!" Black Star stated, as he placed a giant sun hat on his head.

Tsubaki turned around from glancing at some small trinkets and laughed. "Black Star, we have to be serious! Angela is going to think we're messing with her if we act all goofy."

Black Star chuckled and placed the hat back on the shelf. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but they honestly don't have much in here that I think will appeal to her."

Tsubaki walked over to some other charms close by Black Star and gained a curious expression when she a saw a dozen of small eyeball looking necklaces and bracelets.

"What are these? They're all necklaces and bracelets that look like they have eyes painted on them." Tsubaki questioned aloud.

Black Star turned away from some shirts he had been looking at and scrunched his face in confusion also. "I'm not sure either; do you think Angela would even like that?"

"If you're wondering what that is, it's called an evil eye charm. Many Middle Eastern and Spanish cultures wear them to ward off evil sent to their children and loved ones or use them to block out negative energy." An employee explained.

Tsubaki nodded her head at the explanation as she gazed at the variety of colors the bracelets and necklaces came in. "I think the history behind it makes it sound pretty interesting. I know Angela is always fascinated by things that can ward of evil like spells she sometimes makes up."

Black Star calmly agreed as he picked up a light pink bracelet. "I think we should get this one since it will match her eyes."

Tsubaki smiled and accepted the bracelet and headed over to the register to pay for it. Once they were back outside the store, Tsubaki pondered over what they should do next.

"We just finished having an early lunch, so it must be around late evening or early night back at home." Black Star reasoned beside her.

"Yes, I'm assuming it should be about 7 or 8pm right now. Angela will have to go in for bed soon, but do you still want to try anyways?" Tsubaki asked.

Black Star smirked and nodded his head. "Hey, I'm not going to let any feelings of nervousness get to me! We're probably going to regret it if we put it off another day."

'Black Star always seems to know just what to say to get me pumped up also.' Tsubaki thought, as she beamed and took Black Star's hand as he led them back to their room.

Tsubaki set down the bag and sighed as Black Star gave her a thumbs up before she dialed the agency's number once more.

After waiting for a few rings, Tsubaki heard the director pick up and listened to her explain her plan regarding Angela before agreeing to it.

"It's almost her bedtime though, so try to keep it short and simple." The director stated, before setting up the connection for FaceTime.

"Tsubaki, it's almost time for me to go sleep! Did something important come up?" Angela yawned out, as she came into view of the camera.

Tsubaki shook her head and frowned slightly as she realized she hadn't really gone over in her head how she had wanted the conversation to start out.

Black Star scooted over on the bed and gently put a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder. "We just wanted to talk to you again and try to clear some things up."

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly at Black Star's appearance and nodded her head slowly. "Okay."

Black Star pulled out the evil eye charm from the bag and put it in view of the camera. "Over the past few days, Tsubaki has been telling me more about you and she told me you're into things like witches and charms, am I right?"

Angela gave a questioning look towards Tsubaki on why she told him all that, but nodded her head. "You didn't have to get me anything. Why are you so interested in me anyways?"

"I know you might not believe me, but I want you to feel you can trust me just as much as you trust Tsubaki. I don't expect you to immediately like me, but in time maybe you can." Black Star replied back sincerely.

Angela looked surprised at that answer and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Tsubaki, do you really like this guy that much?"

Tsubaki blushed slightly at the question, but nodded her head. "Yes, I do Angela; Black Star really does want to get to know you better."

Angela stared between the two of them before finally nodding her head quietly. "I…I understand. I just want you to be happy Tsubaki."

"Angela, I want you to be happy too. Things have changed since the time I've been home, but they're not bad changes though." Tsubaki stated seriously.

Angela nodded her head and smiled a little as she gave one last glance towards Black Star. "I hope you don't look as weird in person as you do on camera!"

Black Star scowled slightly at that, but grinned and waved goodbye as Angela hung up while Tsubaki set her phone down and met Black Star's smile with her own.

"That went much better than I thought it would! I'm glad Angela wasn't as rude this time; it seems like she'll actually give you a chance now." Tsubaki said excitedly.

Black Star smirked as he confidently wrapped an arm around her. "Of course things went better now; I'm sure it was my smile this time that won her over!"

Tsubaki giggled lightly and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I say this is deserving of a celebration, don't you?" she whispered in his ear.

Black Star smiled slyly and pushed her gently onto the bed. "I couldn't agree more."

~X~

'Ugh, this is the worst thing that could have happened. Why did I have to end up getting sick while on vacation?' Maka thought to herself, as she clutched her aching head.

Soul sighed next to her and moved her hand away from her head to feel her forehead. "No good, you still feel warm. I feel like we've tried just about every option all day."

Maka nodded her head as she lied back down into the bed and placed a cool towel on her head. "Maybe it was something that I ate, but we've all ate at the same places pretty much and I'm the only who ended up sick."

"You don't still feel nauseated, do you? I can get you another barf bag if need be." Soul asked.

Maka smiled lightly and shook her head as she patted the spot next to her. "I've been through worse than this. All I need you to do is lie down next to me and keep me company please."

Soul shrugged and did as she wanted as the two fell into silence. Only a few minutes had passed before a sudden ringing in the air interrupted them.

"That's not your phone again, is it?" Soul questioned, sitting up slightly.

Maka shook her head and leaned up a bit also. "I think that's actually the hotel phone."

Soul frowned and picked up the phone to see who it was before the ringing annoyed them both any further. "Hello?"

"Hello, am I speaking with a Soul Evans?" The receptionist asked.

Soul winched slightly at the use of his real last name, but confirmed it. "There is an international call for you at the front desk. Please come down and answer it."

Soul sighed as he placed the phone back on the receiver. "Who was that?" Maka inquired.

"I have some international call waiting for me downstairs; I'll be right back." Soul grumbled.

Maka nodded her head as she curled back into the bed sheets. "Okay, take your time."

'Who would be calling me internationally? I didn't tell anyone I was coming here unless it's maybe Wes or even worse, Blair…' Soul pondered, as he took the elevator down to the lobby.

Soul walked over the front desk and greeted the one of the receptionists who handed him his waiting call. "About time you got down here." A gruff voice stated, causing Soul's eyes to widen slightly.

'What the hell? Why is my dad calling me?!' Soul thought, before he managed to find his voice.

"How did you get this number?" Soul growled out.

Soul could hear his father only chuckle before his mom seemed to take over. "Oh, don't worry about the minor details like that sweetie. The important thing is that we know where you are and you can't go running off anymore."

"Damn it, I'm an adult! I don't need to tell you where I am like I'm still some toddler!" Soul snapped out.

"Hey, you watch that language and tone you have with your mother! You have some nerve thinking that you could get away with trying to avoid the music lessons we had arranged out for you!" His father hissed back.

"This is exactly why I've been trying to get away from you both this whole time! Did I ever say I wanted to go to Julliard or have those music lessons take away from my whole summer? No, I didn't; you just made assumptions on what you thought I wanted!" Soul argued.

There was a pause on his parents end as Soul let out a groan before he heard his mother speak up again. "Soul honey, we know you may not see it right now, but you're father and I only want what's best for you."

'If that were true, then that would mean we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.' Soul thought with a scowl.

"I can't stay long on this phone now. International calls are going to make my phone bill even larger when it comes time for me to check out. "Soul stated.

"Okay dear, but at least first let us tell you that we plan to-"Soul cut his mother off by ending the phone call.

'I'm probably shouldn't have ended the conversation like that, but I'm pretty sure what she was going to tell me wouldn't be something I wanted to hear.' Soul mused, as he started to head back to his room.

Once Soul was back in his room, he found that Maka had already fallen asleep. Soul smiled a bit and gently moved the towel away from her head as Maka opened her jade green eyes slightly at the movement.

"That call took a while." Maka mentioned sleepily.

Soul scoffed and nodded his head. "This time it was my parents who called."

Maka sat up in alarm at that and frowned. "What?! Oh crap, that means my stupid Papa really did go running off to find out more about you!"

"You don't have any proof it was your dad." Soul considered, as he took his shoes back off and joined her back in bed.

Maka scowled and shook her head. "It has to be my Dad, but somebody must have helped him…"

Soul sighed and rolled his eyes he realized his statement had caused Maka to completely wake back up again when she was supposed to be resting. "Maka, I told you already not to worry about this."

"Aren't you curious to know how they could have reached you? Now, I don't think your brother would tell them so that means maybe Blair did it or hell Liz could be a possibility also." Maka considered, weighing out all the options.

"Liz, why would she do it?" Soul questioned in bewilderment.

Maka leaned her head against her palm and sighed. "Well, she obviously doesn't like me since our Kid fiasco. I wouldn't put it past her to just tell my dad to spite me like back in high school."

Soul only shook his head at the theories Maka came up with before his own personal phone suddenly buzzed, causing the both of them to jump slightly.

"I wonder who it's going to be this time." Maka mused, as she watched Soul pick it up and glance at the text message.

I know we've taught you better than that to not just hang up on people, especially us. Even though you like to ignore or delete our messages, I'm sure you'll actually read this one. Your mother and I decided that since you won't listen to us over the phone, we'll just come to you instead and get things over with faster that way. Expect to see us there in about 3 days-Dad

Maka bit her lip worriedly when she saw a rare look of anger form on Soul's face before he tossed his phone aside carelessly.

"Soul, whatever is going on; I'm sure it's not anything that we can't handle." Maka murmured.

Soul sighed and gently pressed his forehead against Maka's as he met her concerned glance with a frown. 'As much as I would like to believe that since we we're able to handle Wes and Blair coming here, I'm wary of what problems my parents could do to try to break us apart…

~x~

That's it for Chapter 21! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated and as usual, thanks for reading!


	22. Heart-Stopping Tonight

Chapter 22: Heart- Stopping Tonight

"Soul, what exactly did that text say?" Maka questioned after a few minutes of silence passed.

'There's no point in really trying to keep it from her seeing as my parents will eventually find out about her anyways…' Soul thought to himself.

"My parents are coming here for a visit." Soul finally grumbled out.

Maka felt her stomach churn uncomfortably at the news. "When will they arrive?"

Soul shrugged and picked his phone back up to reread the message. "3 days. You know from the way you described your dad, I would have thought he would be the one trying to get here first."

Maka shook her head slowly as her mind started to swirl with thoughts over what would happen in the next few days. "I'm sure my father would want to come here, but I know he can't afford it whereas going on this trip is probably just pocket change for your parents."

Soul groaned at that thought before nodding his head in agreement. "We don't have much time until they come here. What should we do?"

"Well, it's not like we can just run away from them. The only way to really get them to leave you alone would be to just meet them over dinner or lunch perhaps." Maka reasoned.

Soul shook his head at that suggestion and turned over in the covers of the bed to avoid the glower Maka was starting to send him. "That sounds like a stupid idea."

Maka scoffed at Soul's stubbornness and rolled her eyes. "How else do you plan to get them off your back; isn't the reason they're coming here in the first place because you won't talk to them?!"

"They already know why I won't talk to them! They're wasting their time and money by thinking coming here will change that." Soul muffled out from his pillow.

Maka faintly scoffed under her breathe at Soul's continued cold attitude and gently nudged his shoulder until he turned back over and faced her with a scowl.

"Are you seriously thinking about actually meeting them in person? My parents aren't going to like you." Soul questioned harshly.

Maka shifted uncomfortably at that and Soul's tone, but maintained her serious expression and nodded her head. 'I don't see the point in trying to avoid them. We're just going to have to deal with a stressful few days ahead of us.'

"Maka, I don't want you stressing out or worrying over this when you're still trying to get over your cold. We need to try to enjoy our last few weeks of vacation without any more trouble." Soul stated, cutting into her thoughts.

Maka sighed and nodded her head as she allowed Soul to tug her gently by the arm back under the covers.

"Let's just try and get some rest for now and plan this all out later." Soul suggested tiredly.

Maka felt the urge to voice her disagreement, but the sudden pounding of her head forced her to silently agree.

'Even though Soul never actually admitted to it, I'm sure he already realizes that his best option to move past this issue with his parents is to meet with them in person once again…' Maka quietly speculated.

~X~

Black Star arched an eyebrow as he gazed at both Soul and Maka's bitter facial expressions before leaning over to whisper at Tsubaki. "What the hell happened between those two? They've hardly said a word since lunch started."

"I'm not too sure to be honest; they don't seem to be mad at each other at least though, but something is clearly bothering them." Tsubaki mumbled back.

"Do you two really need to whisper about us when we're sitting right in front of you?" Maka suddenly spoke up, surprising them.

Black Star frowned and leaned away from Tsubaki to sit in his original position. "Maybe we wouldn't have to be grumbling about you two if you would just tell us already what's going on."

Maka sighed and glanced at Soul who only shrugged and nodded his head to go ahead and tell them. "Soul's parents are supposed to be coming here in roughly 3 days."

Tsubaki cocked her head in slight confusion while Black Star's eyes widened in shock. "What?! How did they even-"

"I don't know either, so don't even ask. The point is that they're coming here and think they'll be able to persuade me to agree with their point of view." Soul said irritably.

Black Star nodded his head and frowned when he noticed Maka was bending at her utensils in order to distract her mind.

"Well, taking your anger out on a fork won't change anything. All you guys need to do is just come up with some things to say that will appeal to them." He mused.

Maka straightened back out her fork and chuckled sarcastically. "Oh, since when did you become our person to go to for advice?"

"Maka, Black Star makes a good point; don't you think you two should plan out with this little time you have right now how you want the discussion with Soul's parents to go?" Tsubaki piped up.

Maka huffed, but nodded her head while Soul only snorted. "Tsubaki even if we do plan out what we want to say, it's not like my parents will listen to it; I know how they like to behave. And two, aren't you just agreeing with Black Star because you like him?"

Tsubaki felt her cheeks redden as she shook her head at Soul's implication while Black Star narrowed his eyes at Soul. "Hey, don't take your anger out on Tsubaki; it's not our fault you have this ongoing argument with your parents!"

Soul sighed and placed his head against his palm. "Yeah you're right; that was uncalled for. Maka and I have come up some ideas, but none of them I believe will really get my parents to agree to what I want."

Tsubaki and Black Star gazed at each other unsurely until Black Star brightened as another idea came to him. "I know this might seem off-topic, but Tsubaki and I were thinking we need to do one last big activity all together before we head back home to celebrate the end of summer basically. Maybe if you show your parents all the things you've done or learned over the summer, they'll see that you really aren't the same person that you were back in high school."

'Wow, Black Star can actually use his head when he really wants to. Though I'm not sure some photos will really convince Soul's parents that he's changed…' Maka pondered to herself.

"Well, you two can plan out on your own how to handle that end of summer event, but what do you think of that idea Maka?" Soul asked her.

Maka turned to meet Soul's ruby eyes and smiled slightly. "I think it's worth a shot; I'm sure if we glance through both of our photos we'll find enough nice ones we can show them or at least explain to them what we've been up to."

As lunch came to an end, everyone started to walk back to their rooms to relax. Just as Maka and Soul were about to head down the hallway that led to their room, Black Star sent Soul a secretive grin. "Make sure you don't show Maka those photos you took of her while she was sunbathing!"

Soul growled and blushed slightly as he covered Black Star's mouth before Maka or Tsubaki heard him. "Damn it, are you trying to get me Maka chopped?!"

Black Star only grinned once Soul eventually uncovered his mouth. "Of course man! I never get tired of seeing that!"

~X~

"Dear, make sure you don't pack too much into one bag of luggage; the limit I think is 50 pounds or less." Andrew said, as he walked into their bedroom.

Laura turned away from her luggage and sent her husband a smile. "Oh, I guess you make a good point. I'm just so excited we'll finally be able to see Soul again!"

Andrew smiled a little and nodded his head. "It's not like this is going to be a happy get together though. Soul made it clear that he didn't want to see us."

Laura shrugged as she moved to grab a few more dresses and accessories from her closet. "Soul is just being his typical rebellious self. I don't get why it's so hard for him to not behave more like his brother."

"Since we only plan to stay there for about 5 days and will arrive there on August 3rd, we need to make sure we have enough time for a good sit down with Soul to really find out what he's been up to." Andrew stated, already planning ahead what he wanted to do.

Laura frowned slightly and sighed. "I didn't forget that we need to talk to Soul honey, but we should try to get in some relaxation time as well while were there; I don't think we've ever even been to Spain! Most of the year we spend working and it's rare that the trips we take aren't just business trips lately."

"Have you already forgotten that we've been to Spain years ago? I think we had some summer home on one of the islands off the mainland…" Andrew pondered, trying to remember.

Laura stared at him blankly before pouting. "That was a long time ago! That house is probably all rundown now. That reminds me, I hope the hotel Soul picked to stay at isn't some one star one."

Andrew shook his head as he looked over the flight and hotel information he had printed out. "Surprisingly, it's a four star hotel. How long do you think we should wait until we try to greet Soul?"

"Our flight will land at night; so we should try to catch him the next day around breakfast or lunch time. It shouldn't be too hard to find him since his white hair will make him stick out." Laura contemplated.

Andrew nodded his head and moved to take out his own suitcases. "I sincerely do hope Soul has found better taste in women since dating that last girl though, what was her name again Briana or something?"

Laura yawned and straightened out the crinkles in her magenta dress. "I don't care what her name was, but I'm definitely making sure the girl he's dating right now is one that will fit to our standards."

Andrew smirked as he pulled out one of his navy blue Italian suits. "The next few days are going to be quite interesting."

Laura nodded her head as she finally zipped up one of her bags. "If things go as planned, maybe Soul will consider even coming home early with us!"

Andrew laughed and shook his head at that. "Let's not go overboard here now; we need to get Soul to even talk to us first."

~X~

Black Star furrowed his brows as he glanced over a kiosk stand in the lobby that held pamphlets over a range of activities one could do in Barcelona.

"Hmm, since Soul and Maka are going to be distracted in the next coming days, it looks like it will be up to you and me to figure out what activity we should do to end this vacation with a bang." Black Star said with a grin, as he turned to Tsubaki.

'It's hard to believe that we'll soon be having our last major outing all together at least for a while. This event has to be one that's truly memorable for all of us.' Tsubaki thought to herself.

"Do you see anything that you like Tsubaki?" Black Star questioned from beside her, startling her slightly.

Tsubaki glanced around a bit more and shook her head. "It's so hard to come up with new things to do since we've done all the main attractions that the tourist board advertises. Maybe we should ask Professor Stein and Marie?"

Black Star rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. "No, we always rely on them to find activities! I think we can find something that we'll all enjoy without their help."

"But we've been standing here for like 10 minutes. Are you sure you really don't want me to call them?" Tsubaki asked teasingly, knowing Black Star would rise to the bait.

Black Star smirked as he caught on to what Tsubaki was trying to do. "Tsubaki, you've been around me long enough to know that I don't back down from doing anything no matter how simple it is!"

Tsubaki only laughed and watched as Black Star turned back around to gaze at the stand before picking up a brochure.

"Hey, this is something we've never done before! It's a hot air balloon tour over Barcelona; it even includes a champagne toast with brunch in the package." Black Star exclaimed.

Tsubaki peeked over his shoulder to read over the description as well. "I like the sound of it too though we first need to go over it with Soul and Maka before we make a reservation."

Black Star nodded his head as he looked at the available times. "Ugh, the only thing I don't like about it is that it only takes place in the morning so we would have to get up earlier than normal, but I guess it's worth it if we're doing something new."

"The trip is only offered on the weekend including Monday as well, so we might need to wait until everything blows over with Soul's parents to actually book it." Tsubaki considered.

Black Star sighed and folded up the pamphlet to put into his pocket. "Man, that's basically means waiting another week then; what can we do to past the time?"

Tsubaki beamed and gazed out towards the beach as some ideas came to her. "Guess that's just another challenge for you and I to face."

~X~

Maka scowled as she stared down at the tea Soul had brewed for her. "Do I really have to drink this?"

Soul narrowed his eyes as he sat down across from her at the kitchen table. "Don't you want to feel better before my parents get here? Ginger tea is supposed to help with fevers."

Maka sighed and started to carefully stir at the tea. "You didn't put anything else in it, did you?"

"What, you think I want to poison you or something? Hurry up and drink it before it gets cold." Soul griped out.

Maka glared at him for a moment before blowing cautiously on the tea and taking a sip from it. "It's actually not that bad, but the heat from it is going to make me all sweaty."

Soul shrugged, but then started to grin cheekily. "After you start to feel better, we can go back to doing all the activities that you enjoy making you sweat!"

Maka nearly choked on tea she had midway drank and blushed at Soul's insinuation. "Is that really what's on your mind right now?" Maka asked, once she had properly swallowed.

"I would rather be thinking about that then my parents coming here the day after tomorrow." Soul replied back simply.

"They haven't sent you any more messages or calls have they?" Maka questioned.

Soul scrunched his face up in thought before shaking his head. "Nope, and hopefully I won't get any more until maybe they finally land."

Maka finished off her tea and set it down on the table. "Since we both assume your parents are going to want to meet you over dinner, maybe we should borrow some formal wear from a nearby boutique."

"I would actually like to see their reaction to us just greeting them in our casual wear. They always want to dress up for any occasion, even if it's for something as simple as going to the store." Soul mused with a chuckle.

'Soul said his parents wouldn't like me, but he never explained to me why they would. Soul might not care about their opinion, but I want to at least try to make a good impression…' Maka reasoned to herself.

Soul noticed Maka's mind seemed to be wandering and reached out to grab her hand before she started to worry herself. "Maka, you have no reason to be nervous about meeting them; I don't care what they may think of you."

Maka flinched slightly as she realized how easy it was for Soul to know what was on her mind. "I…I'm not nervous! I just don't want them jumping to conclusions when they first meet me. The fact that they only know about me through my Papa doesn't make things any better either..."

Soul rolled his eyes and gripped Maka's hand a bit tighter. "You're a terrible liar, but I guess you have a point. I'm sure we can rent out a suit and dress from that one store down the road."

Maka smiled and nodded her head as she stood up to grab her shoes by the door. "You're going to take the motorcycle again, right?"

Soul grinned toothily and nodded his head. "Of course; I haven't used the taxi service since like early July really."

Once Soul and Maka arrived at the boutique, they were both immediately pulled away from each other by a male and female employee.

"We assume you two are looking for a dress and suit respectively?" They asked with a thick Spanish accent.

Maka and Soul both looked at each other before reluctantly nodding their heads.

"You've come to the right place then! The woman's dresses are upstairs though so I'll show you up there while Lucas will take care of your boyfriend here!" The woman stated excitedly.

'Geez, these employees are so pushy, I hope we can actually find something here.' Maka thought, as she gave one last look to Soul who looked annoyed at all the questions Lucas was asking him.

"By the way, I'm Gabriela, but you can call me Gabby while you're here if you want; take your time and let me know if you find something you like." She explained.

Maka nodded her head and started to browse through the variety of colors each dress came in. 'I wonder if I should try to match with Soul like we did when Marie took us salsa dancing or if it won't matter what I wear…'

Maka continued walking down the aisles until an indigo blue dress with slight ruffles at the bottom caught her eye. Maka admired the dress for a moment before Gabriela came up behind her.

"Would you like to try that one on? That's the only way to see if you'll really like it." She suggested.

Maka fiddled with the dress uncomfortably before sighing and nodding her head as she followed her to the dressing rooms. Maka slipped into the dress and did a slight twirl around to make sure she liked how it looked from all angles.

Maka came out of the dressing room and greeted Gabriela with a grin. "Do you think it would be okay if I showed this off to Soul?"

Gabriela blinked in puzzlement for a moment before smiling back. "I don't see why not, I would like to see the look that comes on his face also!"

Maka rushed back downstairs and held back the urge to laugh when she noticed Soul was sitting down frustrated and already had his suit in his arm. 'That figures he would already pick out his usual type of pinstriped suit and be ready to go immediately.'

Maka gently tapped Soul on the shoulder to get his attention and watched as the scowl on his face turned to a look of a shock. "Is…is that the dress you plan to wear?"

Maka nodded her head and blushed as she watched Soul look her over. "I wanted you to see it before I decided on it; what do you think of it?"

Soul said nothing back for a few moments before looking away as he realized he was ogling. "You look good."

Maka smirked at the red hue that was starting to form on Soul's cheeks. 'I don't normally like to wear formal wear that much, but it's definitely worth it if I can get this reaction out of Soul more often!'

~X~

"What do you mean we have to sit in economy class?! I thought you said you were able to get us first class tickets!" Laura complained grouchily, causing a few people nearby to give her an annoyed expression.

Andrew sighed and tried to calm his angry wife down before she caused any more of a scene. "Dear, calm down! We still have to go through a connecting flight in New York and we'll be able to sit first class then."

Laura scoffed and turned away from him to go sit down. "This is not how I wanted our trip to start out! It's not like our flight from New York is going to leave any time soon either."

Andrew sat down next to her and only shook his head at how childish his wife could sometimes act. "That doesn't mean you have to pout and whine about it."

Laura frowned at some of the looks she was received and blushed in embarrassment. "I guess my nerves are just getting to me and the fact that we had to be up so early at 5 am."

Andrew nodded his head and glanced out the airport's window as the sun began to rise. "I'm going to get some coffee, would you like some too?"

Laura mumbled out a yes and watched as her husband stood up to leave before she pulled out her phone to check the news in Barcelona.

"Hmm, at least the weather will be a bit cooler there than it is here; that's one thing to look forward to." Laura muttered to herself aloud.

A few minutes later, Andrew returned and handed her a cup of coffee. Laura sighed peacefully as she finished taking a gulp from it. "Thank you, I really needed that."

Andrew just shrugged and noticed the weather app she had up on her phone. "Checking out how the weather will be there?"

Laura nodded her head as she closed out the app. "It's going to be nice weather, I would try to read the main newspapers also, but I've forgotten most of my Spanish over the years."

After waiting for about 30 minutes, Andrew and Laura's seat numbers were finally called to allow them to board the flight.

Laura scowled at how crowded the economy class seemed to be as she took the window seat while Andrew took the aisle. "You know, I bet Soul sat in economy class as well when he was coming here, but he probably bought a round trip ticket and didn't need to use a connecting flight like us."

Andrew glanced around before shaking his head. "Once you get a taste of first class, I don't see how anyone could go back to business or economy, even if first class is more expensive."

Laura pulled out her sleeping mask and mini pillow from her carry-on luggage and sighed. "Well, I'm just going to try to make the best of the situation and sleep my way through it. How long is this flight again?"

"Close to 5 hours with a layover in New York for another 8 hours." Andrew groaned out.

"Why do we have to be stuck in New York for so long?! Don't you think we should try to see if we can catch an earlier flight?" Laura suggested.

Andrew brushed a hand through is hair in thought. "The reason for the layover is because we bought our tickets so last minute, but there's no harm in trying to get on another flight. It would just mean us getting to Barcelona faster after all; we probably would need to pull a few strings here and there again to get it though."

Laura grinned as she leaned her head back against her pillow. "If we can get an earlier flight, that may mean we could reach Barcelona late in the night their time and catch Soul off-guard! But that's enough of that, I'm going to sleep; wake me up before we land."

~X~

Black Star and Tsubaki had just finished a game of Frisbee when they noticed Soul and Maka approach them.

"Hey, what have you two been doing this whole time?" Black Star questioned with a smile.

"We're just got back from renting out a suit and dress for when my parents come and getting some food and drinks." Soul answered back.

"Have you two been at the beach this whole time while we were gone?" Maka asked.

Tsubaki nodded her head as she brushed away some sand from her bikini. "We figured that you two would be busy most of the day planning things out involving them."

"So, are you guys just going to stand there or are you going to join us on the beach as well?" Black Star inquired.

Maka sent him a look before shaking her head. "Does it looked like were dressed to go to the beach?"

Black Star shrugged as he gazed over Maka's white polo top and red skirt and Soul's usual blue jeans and grey shirt. "I guess you aren't, especially since you're wearing white and as soon as water would hit you…"

Maka blinked in confusion before scowling as both Black Star and Soul started to laugh. "You're both perverts!"

"Oh, lighten up Maka! You always take Black Star's jokes too seriously." Soul stated, as he patted her on the back.

Maka sent him a side glare and nearly pulled out her book, but instead humped and turned around. "I'm heading back to the room to put our stuff down. I assume we'll all meet again for dinner later."

"Whoa, she didn't even chop you. Is she still feeling sick?" Black Star asked when he was sure Maka was a far enough distance away.

Soul watched as Maka disappear further from view before shrugging. "She still has a slight headache, but she's getting better. I keep telling her to not let meeting my parents get to her."

"It can't be helped that she feels nervous though Soul. Couples don't usually meet each other's parents unless the relationship is serious." Tsubaki explained.

Soul frowned as he took in what Tsubaki said. 'I never really thought of it that way. I always made sure that Blair was never really around my parents for that long, but I don't think I can use the same tactics as I did then to avoid Maka having to deal with them.'

"I'll go check on her to make sure she's okay. We only have about another day and a half before they arrive after all." Soul mumbled, as he turned to leave also.

Black Star and Tsubaki nodded their heads and headed over to the mini shower area to wash off the rest of the sand on them.

"Do you think Soul's parents will have any issues with us?" Tsubaki suddenly asked.

Black Star shrugged as he shook some sand away from his hair. "Well, they certainly never tried to hide the fact that they hate me, but they'll probably like you since you're pretty and nice."

Tsubaki blushed at the compliment and beamed. "Soul's parents should see you're not the same person you were 3 months ago though, in fact none of us are really."

"Even so, Soul's parents are uppity rich folks who try to pretend they aren't looking down on others when really they are and while Maka can be a friendly and nice person, Soul's parent's won't like her once they learn more about her." Black Star concluded.

Tsubaki pouted and moved to grab her towel to wrap around herself. "Why are you jumping to conclusions like that? She hasn't even met them yet!"

Black Star only shook his head. "Soul comes from a family of musicians. They probably already know by now that she isn't from a rich family due to her old man, but finding out that she knows little to nothing about music and doesn't even play an instrument will break off any chances of them liking her."

Tsubaki grimaced and tightened her towel closer to herself. "The odds may be against Maka, but I'm sure she'll be fine. All she'll really need to do is just keep her temper in check."

~X~

Maka yawned as she lazily flipped through channels before setting the remote down on the bed away from her. "Do we really have to go eat right now? I mean it's already gotten so late that technically we would be eating breakfast and not dinner."

Soul glanced at his watch and saw it was already a little past 1 am. "Damn, it feels like the day went by way too fast; it's a good thing some of these restaurants stay open so late. How can you not be hungry though; didn't we eat like over 6 hours ago?"

Maka shrugged before pointing over in the direction of the fridge. "I ate a lot of snacks throughout the day."

Soul shook his head and grabbed her by the arm gently. "That's not enough; you'll get sick again if you don't keep up with eating and drinking properly."

Maka sighed and grudgingly sat up. "Alright, I don't need you to lecture me. We shouldn't keep Black Star and Tsubaki waiting anyways."

Soul noticed Maka wasn't saying much as they walked down the hall and scowled as he finally had enough of it and pulled her by the arm into a corner out of view.

Maka's emerald green eyes darkened at the look Soul was giving her. "What's your problem? I thought you were hungry and wanted to get to Black Star and Tsubaki as soon as possible."

"It can wait; look Maka I don't like seeing you all tense over meeting my parents. It's not like you to worry about anything." Soul stated seriously.

Maka's furious expression calmed a bit as she realized Soul was just worried over her. "I know you don't think it's a big deal Soul, but it is to me. You didn't even tell me why you think your parents won't like me!"

Soul sighed and loosened his grip on her slightly. "You won't like the answer if I tell you."

Maka arched an eyebrow and snorted. "Well, you just suddenly dragged me into a corner unexpectedly; I think I can handle what you have to say."

Soul chuckled slightly before gaining back a serious appearance. "It's because you know nothing about music. My whole family is full of musical prodigies and if they knew I was dating you…"

"Wait…you aren't ashamed to be dating me, are you?" Maka asked in a mix of surprise and hurt.

Soul vehemently shook his head and pulled Maka into a hug. "No, of course not! What I mean is that my parents will think I'm shaming the family name by being with someone who doesn't know anything about music."

Maka narrowed her eyes slightly and pushed Soul back. "Oh, I guess you only like being with me because music isn't my strongest subject and you know I won't pressure you about it."

Soul scowled and resisted to urge to smack his head. 'Why does Maka always jump to the worst conclusions?!'

Soul sighed and watched Maka started to look everywhere but at him. "Maka, while I admit it is nice knowing that you won't bother me about music; that's not the only reason I spend time with you."

When Maka said nothing back, Soul growled under his breathe and forced her to look at him by gently grabbing her cheek. "Damn it, stop being immature Maka, haven't I already shown you how much I love you?!"

Both Maka and Soul froze up as they realized what Soul had said. "You what…?" Maka whispered. 'This is the first time either of us has actually spoken aloud using the word love instead of just like or expressing it using touch…'

Soul whispered out a curse and stepped away from her to hide his discomposure. "Nothing, forget I said anything."

Maka pouted and shook her head as she reached out to grab his hand before he could run off. "No, that wasn't nothing! Can you… can you say it again please?"

Soul looked taken aback before he noticed Maka looked just as flushed and shaky as he was feeling and tried to calm himself down. "I…I love you Maka."

Maka's eyes glimmered as she moved to wrap her arms around him. "I do too Soul; I love you."

Soul let out a sigh of relief as he brought her closer to himself. "Good, because it would have been awkward to have been the only one feeling this way and I wasn't sure if you felt the same since we've only gotten to really know each other over the summer-"Maka smiled and cut Soul's rambling off by pressing a finger to his lips gently.

"Soul, just put your words into action." Maka stated softly.

Soul grinned and didn't waste a minute more as he pulled her in for a kiss. Maka moaned contently as Soul moved their positions to press her gently against the wall and deepen their lip lock.

"We shouldn't do this here." Maka panted out, once they both pulled away for air.

"Now that I know how you really feel, I don't plan nor want to stop." Soul grunted back, as he came back in for another kiss.

Maka sighed happily and moved to meet Soul halfway when a voice next to them cleared their throat loudly to get their attention.

Soul and Maka both scowled at another one of their moments being interrupted once again and turned to see who it was. Soul gained a stunned look when he realized it was his parents of all people just staring at the two of them with shocked expressions.

'Why the hell are they here this early; how could they have gotten here so fast!?' Soul thought in confusion, as he tried to get his mind together.

Andrew only sighed and shook his head at Soul's actions while Laura glanced between the two of them in a mix of disgust and disbelief before she managed to find her voice.

"Soul… was what we just saw and heard normal behavior for you or has this vacation really broken your priorities that much?"

~x~

Chapter 22 comes to an end! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated and as usual, thanks for reading!


	23. The Bitter Truth

Chapter 23: The Bitter Truth

Soul and Maka flustered lightly as they moved away from each other while Laura continued to send them a look of contempt.

"Don't just stand there staring at me Soul; explain what you've been up to on this vacation!" Laura hissed out.

Soul scoffed at the attitude his mother's questions were coming off as and was about to make a smartass reply back when Andrew suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder and calmly cleared his throat once more.

"Dear, I can tell you're still probably tired from the long flights we've been on. How about we just wait until tomorrow or I suppose later on today to discuss all this?" He asked smoothly.

Laura kept her gaze on Soul and Maka for a moment longer before eventually scowling and looking away. "Fine, but don't you honestly think we should just get it over with right now after what we just saw?!"

Andrew only patted her shoulder gently and shook his head. "We're both exhausted right now and I'm sure Soul can give us a better explanation of what he's been up to once he gets some sleep as well, right?"

Soul arched an eyebrow at that and shrugged causing his father to send him a frustrated look. "Maka and I are only up right now to get a quick late night snack. We'll just leave you two alone."

Maka opened her mouth to speak, but Soul had already grabbed her by the hand and started to quickly move them down the hallway before she could get a word out.

Maka sighed and peeked over her shoulder to get one last look at Soul's parents and felt a wave of tension fall over when she saw they were both sending her glares with Laura whispering something into her husband's ear.

'Great, all day Soul and I have been preparing for their arrival and when they surprise us by coming sooner than expected, one of the first things they see is me making out with their son!' Maka thought in embarrassment.

"You don't have to grip my hand so hard Soul, we're out of their earshot now." Maka finally grumbled out, when they had reached the lobby.

Soul reluctantly let go of her hand and scowled as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "See, this is what I meant by how my parents can behave. They lied about when they would be coming here probably on purpose to catch me off-guard."

Maka nodded her head as rubbed her fingers together absentmindedly. "Yeah, this is quite unexpected, but at least we can deal with them together; you won't have to face them alone."

Soul let out a snort at that and grinned slightly. "Well, that does mean you'll have to keep that temper of yours under control for the next few days; that means no Maka-chops."

Maka narrowed her eyes and laughed gently. "Oh, don't think you're safe from my books just because your parents are around. It's not like they can see what we're doing behind closed doors."

"A closed door won't stop them from trying out any option." Soul grumbled under his breathe, as he started to walk ahead of her down to the only Bistro that was open this late with Maka trailing behind him with a frown.

'His parent's finally being here really does make him mad. All we can really need to do is not to let anything they try or say get to us though.'

As Soul and Maka approached the restaurant, they saw Black Star and Tsubaki just heading out the doors.

Black Star sent Soul and Maka an annoyed look as he pointed a finger at both of them. "Hey, what the hell took you two so long?! Tsubaki and I got tired of waiting so we just ate without you; you should've called or texted one of us if you planned on coming here late!"

"We weren't late on purpose; we ran into Soul's parents on the way here!" Maka snapped out, shoving Black Star's finger away from her face.

Tsubaki's eyes widened slightly at that. "Wait, they're here already? I thought they weren't supposed to arrive for at least another day or so."

"That's what we thought too and it's what they told me when they first texted me." Soul muttered.

Black Star shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess that means they're still acting like their usual selves then by changing their plans last minute."

"Anyways, Soul and I just want to get a quick meal in and then head back in for the night." Maka mused, wanting to move on to a positive change of topic.

"Ah, you might not be able to get that meal in since you guys took so long. I don't think they plan to take any more customers for the night." Tsubaki mentioned, as she noticed one of the employees turn the open sign over to closed on the front door.

Maka pouted and moved a bit closer to see other employees start to clean the windows and move all the chairs and tables off to the side.

"I think she's right Soul, I guess we can eat the leftovers we have still in the fridge." Maka suggested.

Soul rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Maka, how could you have forgotten already that you ate all the leftovers earlier and left none for me!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me! You could have told me to save you some, but you didn't!" Maka griped back.

Black Star watched the two of them start to bicker with a grin before he felt Tsubaki nudge him. "Don't you think we should help them out?"

Black Star didn't reply back immediately as he continued to watch Soul and Maka argue for a bit more before he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah I guess so, but I was curious to see how they would solve their food problem without us getting involved."

"Alright, you two can stop quarreling over eating now; Tsubaki and I will share some of our food with you guys." Black Star announced proudly, as he clapped his hands together loudly to get their attention.

"You don't need to do that, I don't like mooching off my friends." Maka replied back simply.

"If you two want to go to hungry to bed, then we would be okay with that as well. Black Star snickered out, but stopped once Tsubaki sent him an angry look.

"Maka, it's honestly not a big deal to us; we'll still have enough to last us until we go out and buy some snacks again." Tsubaki clarified, not wanted her friend to feel guilty.

Maka sighed and turned to see what Soul wanted to do, but saw that he was already heading towards their room and laughing at some joke Black Star had said.

Maka huffed and balled her fists up in annoyance. "They could have at least waited on us! Black Star probably isn't even that hungry if he just ate."

Tsubaki only smiled and shook her head. "Black Star never seems to be completely full and now that you'll be eating with us, I'm sure he'll find room to eat something light."

~X~

"So, why exactly did it take you guys so long to meet up with us?" Black Star asked, as he wiped some apple chunks away from his mouth.

Soul and Maka looked up from their sandwiches and sent each other a confused look. "We thought we already told you that Soul's parents kept us up?"

Black Star only smiled suggestively and chuckled. "Yeah, but that didn't really take up all of the time you were gone now, did it?"

Soul and Maka both thought back to their mutual confession from earlier and reddened which caused Black Star to grin even further and even Tsubaki to smirk knowingly.

"You two aren't hiding anything important from us, are you?" Tsubaki questioned with a taunting grin.

Both Soul and Maka shook their heads in quick unison, only furthering their friends' suspicion.

'Hmm, it seems like the only way we'll get anything out of them is if we split them up.' Tsubaki pondered, as she turned towards Black Star and smiled when he met her look with a nod.

"Maka, I think I left one of my jackets in your room; would it be okay if I could go get it now before I forget again?" Tsubaki asked politely.

Maka arched an eyebrow at that, but shrugged and nodded her head. 'I don't remember Tsubaki packing any jackets, especially since Spain isn't even cold at this time of year…'

As soon as Tsubaki had closed the door behind them, Black Star turned his attention towards Soul and grinned wickedly.

"Okay, what was that all about? I've never seen Tsubaki where a jacket in the whole time we've been here. " Soul questioned.

"Now that they're gone, you can tell me what you and Maka were up to for real." Black Star stated, as if the answer wasn't already obvious.

Soul scoffed and stared at him boredom. "And I would do that because…?"

"Because I'll keep bothering you and annoying you about it until you eventually just tell me anyways? Come on Soul, you know I'm not going to let this topic go." Black Star mused, finishing Soul's sentence with a chuckle.

Soul sighed and leaned his head back against the kitchen chair as he gazed up towards the ceiling. "I told Maka that I love her."

Black Star was silent for a few seconds as he took that in before he snorted and sent Soul a dull look. "Man, is that all? That's not interesting! And here I thought you were going to say you got Maka pregnant or something…"

Soul scowled and threw the crusts of his sandwich at Black Star's head irritably. "Sorry I don't have any shocking scandals to break to you.

"Geez, did it really take you two this long to actually confess to each other? Tsubaki and I already told each other how we felt weeks ago!" Black Star boasted out proudly.

"Good for you two; we never really felt the need to actually say it and just when we finally admit it aloud, my parents had to interrupt." Soul grumbled.

"They overheard you two confess out loud too! Damn, just how are you going to get yourself out of that?" Black Star exclaimed.

Soul shrugged as he brushed some bread crumbs off of him. "I haven't really thought that problem through yet."

~X~

"So, why did you really want to break us away from the guys? Because I know you didn't pack any jackets for coming here." Maka inquired, as she turned on the lights in living room.

Tsubaki laughed lightly as she sat down on the sofa. "I just thought it would be better if I questioned you without the guys eavesdropping."

Maka yawned and as she plopped down next to her and moved some strands of hair out of her face. "Oh, you're going to interrogate me?"

"I guess if you want to put it that way, then yeah! I'm sure you already know what I plan to ask you anyways." Tsubaki stated.

Maka huffed and could feel her cheeks start to heat up again as she twiddled her thumbs. "Nothing really happened, Soul said he loves me and I told him I love him too."

Tsubaki beamed at the dreamy expression that came onto Maka's face as she remembered the event and urged her to continue on. "Ah that's nice, so…what else?"

Maka blinked in confusion at Tsubaki. "Uh, that was pretty much it."

Tsubaki pouted and furrowed her brows. "Really, that's all you guys did? I figured you two had already confessed to each other a long time ago like Black Star and I. Is that really why you guys were late?" 'I was hoping for something more exciting that that…'

"It's not like we could have done much when Soul's parents overheard us." Maka retorted.

Tsubaki sat up a bit straighter at that and frowned. "What happened once they cut short your moment?

Maka gazed down at her disheveled skirt and shook her head. "Nothing really, I wanted to say something, but Soul got us away from them before I could speak. I guess it wouldn't really have mattered what I said anyways since they both sent me such cold looks when I glanced over my shoulder."

"What do Soul's parents look like anyways? Black Star only really told me about their personality." Tsubaki asked curiously.

Maka rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she thought back to brief glimpse she got of them. "Well, he gets most of his looks from his dad's side of the family since they both have white hair and red eyes. His mom on the other hand has dark brown hair that matches well with her hazel eyes. They remind me of those upscale celebrity couples we always read about in gossip magazines except that now I actually have to deal with it in real life."

Tsubaki hummed at Maka's troubled look. "Well, this isn't good. You've already started things off on the wrong foot with them, but that doesn't mean you can't turn things around."

Maka nodded her head as she brushed a hand through her hair with a sigh. "I don't know what to expect or what to say to them though to make them not assume the worse about me."

"I'm sure you'll think of something; you've handled more difficult situations than this before in the past." Tsubaki said encouragingly with a smile.

Maka silently agreed with a smile too as she gazed out the window and watched as the moon casted a silver glow against the sea as high tide started to come in against the sand.

"I bet it's already close to 2 am now." Maka mumbled aloud sleepily, as she watched the waves move for a while before looking back inside.

Tsubaki sat up from the sofa and stretched her arms out. "True, we haven't really stayed up this late in a long time."

Maka watched as Tsubaki moved to leave and got up to follow her. "So, what else were you thinking that Soul and I did?"

Tsubaki blushed faintly and shook her head. "Oh, nothing! I'm just used to you two being more risqué; just kissing sounds so tame for you guys."

"What were you expecting?! You know we aren't that kind of couple!" Maka asserted with a groan.

Tsubaki giggled at Maka's embarrassment. "I don't know Maka; Soul can easily change your mind when it comes to certain things…"

"Oh, just go to bed already!" Maka huffed out, ignoring Tsubaki's laughter as she watched her walk down the hall.

~X~

"Can you get any sleep, dear?" Laura asked her husband in the darkness of their room, once they had unpacked their entire luggage and settled into bed.

"I can't if you keep asking me that same question every 10 minutes." He grumpily said back.

Laura pouted and turned over in the sheets to face him. "You don't have to be so rude about it! Every time I shut my eyes, I keep seeing Soul lip-locked with that pigtailed girl; just how far do you think his relationship has gone with her?"

"I would honestly prefer to not really know, but going by how freely he was kissing her, I would say they've done much more." He reasoned tiredly.

Laura gritted her teeth and sighed at that. "That's what I was worried about; Soul's become so distracted from music by being on this vacation. I hope that when we finally have that sit down with him we can set him straight."

Andrew sat up a bit and leaned his head against his palm. "What about that girl that he was with; don't you want to learn more about her?"

Laura nodded her head as she met her husband's crimson eyes with a smile. "Oh, I didn't forget about her. I'm assuming she's going to join us whenever we meet up with Soul, though I don't have high hopes I'll like her based on what I've seen."

Andrew shrugged as he turned over on his pillow once more. "Her dad is the reason we're here in the first place though, even if his scruffy appearance left a lot to be desired on how well to do they actually are."

Laura twirled a finger through a brown lock as she reflected over their plans. "Dear, maybe we're going about this the wrong way. I know you said you wanted to get meeting Soul out of the way as soon as possible, but we both know he's just going to try to avoid us if we try to reach him as soon as daylight hits."

"What you suggest we do then?" Andrew muttered drowsily, not really in the mood to have this conversation when it was still the middle of the night.

Laura scowled and shook her husband's shoulder to make sure he stayed awake to listen to what she had to say. "I think we should let Soul enjoy the day with his girlfriend and friends and when it gets to around evening time; we send him a message letting him know we want to meet him for dinner."

Andrew sighed and turned on the nearby lamp so he could face his wife properly with some light. "And what happens if Soul ignores that message and chooses to not even show up; then what?"

"Well, I get the feeling that Soul expects us to bug him as soon as we see him again, maybe if we leave him alone for a while and let his anger cool down, I'm sure he'll show up." Laura speculated.

Andrew grunted as he scratched his head. "I guess that could work; Soul wants his freedom after all and we can give him that at least for now."

Laura clasped her hands cheerfully at her husband's agreement to her idea. "I'm glad that you like it, to pass the time, I suppose we can check out the beach and the spa."

Andrew only nodded his head as he clicked back off the lights and curled back into the warmth of the sheets. 'The only problem I really have with this plan is that Soul will probably get suspicious of why we're avoiding contacting him, but I'm sure he would rather get this meeting done with us sooner rather than later too…'

~X~

Maka was awakened a couple of hours later by Soul nudging at her shoulder until she finally opened her forest green eyes and met Soul's ruby eyes with a glare.

"Alright, I'm awake! Why are you trying to wake me up early after we stayed up so late anyways?" Maka grumbled.

Soul chose to ignore Maka's grouchiness and only smirked. "Well just to clarify, it's actually not "early" since it's close to 11:30 am now and second, I figured since you're starting to feel better you would be up for go karting with Black Star and Tsubaki."

Maka rubbed her eyes tiredly and watched as Soul got out of bed and left the room to head towards the kitchen. 'I thought we were going to have to deal with his parents first before we did anything else. I guess Soul is just waiting for them to eventually reach out to him.'

Eventually, Maka got up out of bed too and changed out of her pajamas into a light red tank top and tan shorts and followed Soul out into the kitchen.

"When did they bring up the idea of go karting?" Maka asked, as she poured herself a glass of apple juice.

Soul looked away from the egg he was frying in a pan to face her. "He brought it up to me last night; I would have told you last night, but you had already fallen asleep by the time I came back in."

Maka nodded her head as she took a few sips from her glass. "So…are we just going to pretend that we didn't come across your parents then?"

"Sure, why not? They're not bothering me at the moment after all." Soul mused with grin.

Maka arched an eyebrow at how laidback Soul was being when just yesterday he had actually at least attempted to plan out how to deal with them with her.

"And you don't find that their behavior of ignoring you all of a sudden suspicious? They must have something planned out." Maka reasoned.

"I'm not in any hurry to meet them, are you?" Soul suggested with a scoff.

Maka huffed and shook her head as she internally decided it would be best to drop the topic for now before they started arguing over it. "When are we supposed to meet with Black Star and Tsubaki?"

Soul glanced at the clock and saw it was about 10 minutes to noon before he turned back around to slide his now finished egg onto a plate. "He told me that we should come around the lobby by 2 o clock, but we both know he probably means we should get there by 2:30 or 3."

Maka grinned and nodded her head as she set her glass down into the sink and washed it out. "At least go karting is something we've never done before. They've both been looking up a lot of different things for us to do before this vacation ends."

"I'm pretty sure the only reason they picked this place is because it's half off with groups of 4 or more." Soul assumed.

"Either way, it's a nice change of pace since we've been spending these past few days at the hotel mostly doing nothing." Maka replied back. 'And I'm assuming Soul wants to go because he knows his parents won't follow him off the hotel's property…'

As 2 o clock eventually rolled around, everyone met up together in the lobby. "I'm surprised you actually came at the time you said you wanted us to come at." Maka stated with a grin, as she watched Black Star and Tsubaki approach them.

"Unlike you two, Tsubaki and I come on time when we plan to meet up." Black Star shot back before he greeted Soul with their usual handshake.

"Is that a new top Maka? I don't think I've ever seen you wear that." Tsubaki questioned.

Maka gave a quick look at her outfit before shaking her head with a smile. "I've actually had this for a while since I remember buying it at the gift shop a few weeks ago. I finally dug it out of my luggage to wear today."

"Going to try to impress Soul with it?" Tsubaki asked teasingly.

"Hmm well I'm only wearing it because it's something new and aren't you just trying to do the same thing with Black Star by wearing that sleeveless top?" Maka asked back, grinning with Tsubaki blushed slightly.

"Hey, we're going to leave without you two behind if you don't hurry up!" Black Star snapped out, interrupted their conversation.

Maka scowled and rolled her eyes at him as they walked a bit faster to catch up to him. "One of us needs to make sure we beat him in a race and wipe that stupid smirk off his face."

"You two always have to turn every activity we do into a competition, don't you?" Tsubaki asked amusingly.

Meanwhile not too far away, Laura watched as they all headed towards the taxi pick up and drop off area as she paid particular attention to Maka with narrowed eyes.

'Well, at least she doesn't seem to be a mean person and can handle dealing with Soul's obnoxious friend, but that won't be enough to impress me…'

~X~

'If I get about 10 more tickets, I'm pretty sure I can get those sunglasses from the prize stand.' Soul thought with a grin, as he counted over the 50 tickets he had won from playing a variety of arcade games inside the go kart's main play area when he started to feel his phone buzz in his pocket.

"I bet I know who this will be." Soul grumbled under his breathe, as he took his phone out of his pocket to see who it was.

Meet us at Mirabe restaurant at 7:00 pm sharp with your friend. Attached to this message are the directions to get there from the hotel. –Mom

Soul read over the text before sighing and going to look for Maka. After trudging around for a few minutes, he found Maka playing at one of the classic Whack-a-mole games.

Soul grinned at Maka's complete concentration on the game until he placed a hand on her shoulder and broke her focus.

Maka frowned at the small amount of tickets that came out of the machine once the game ended before she sent Soul a dirty look.

"I hope you're happy, I could have won a lot more than 3 tickets if you hadn't snuck up on me like that!" Maka huffed out.

Soul laughed and only poked Maka's cheek lightly as she continued to scowl at him. "It's not like you haven't already won enough prizes. Come on, we need to get going back."

"Why so soon, we've only been here for maybe a little over an hour or two, right?" Maka asked in puzzlement.

"I just got a text from my mom; we need to get ready for the dinner." Soul muttered.

Maka felt her stomach tighten at Soul's words. 'I guess it was wishful thinking that Soul's parents would hold back on meeting with us until another day…'

"Alright, let's at least let Black Star and Tsubaki know we're leaving." Maka said, as they went around the center and eventually found them playing a beat em up and shooter game respectively.

"Hey you guys, Soul and I are going to have to leave early; we need to go get ready." Maka announced.

Black Star didn't even look away from his game as he continued to virtually punch at his opponent until he won and let out a whoop of victory. "Where are you two going off to so fast or are you guys still pissed over me beating you at racing earlier?"

"The only reason you won is because you kept almost bumping into us so we would have to slow down!" Maka snapped out.

"Actually, we're only leaving early because I got the text from my mom over when she wanted to meet with us tonight." Soul mused with a sigh.

Black Star nodded his head in understanding as he took off the virtual helmet and gloves while Tsubaki sent them both a sympathetic smile.

"Just try to make the best of the situation and think before you say anything!" Tsubaki advised.

Once Soul and Maka were back at the hotel, Soul looked up the restaurant's directions while Maka looked over the menu options.

"Uh Soul, are your parents paying for this? I wasn't expecting to spend this much for just one meal!" Maka muttered, as she gazed at the cost of some of the appetizers and starters.

Soul completed reading over the directions before rubbing his chin unsurely. "Good question, I'm assuming my parents are going to pay since they made a reservation, but to be on the safe side and worst case scenario, we can split the cost of our meal."

Maka nodded her head as shut down the hotel's laptop and peered down at her watch her to check the time. "It's about a little past 4 now. How far away is the restaurant?"

"About 45 minutes away, but we probably should leave earlier because 6-7 pm is the evening rush hour time." Soul considered.

Maka let out a tense breathe as she watched Soul stand up and sit down next her before he gave out a wary groan.

"So, are you ready to meet my parents because I sure as hell don't feel ready!" Soul said with fake enthusiasm.

Maka only laughed lightly and moved to meet him for a light kiss. "It was going to happen at some point."

Soul chuckled as he grabbed Maka's cheek gently to deepen their kiss. "Are you sure you don't want to just stay here?" He asked lowly against her lips, once they broke away from each other.

"While that is a tempting offer, I'm sure your parents would come banging on our door as soon as they knew we bailed on them." Maka mused softly.

~X~

"Oh, do you think they're going to show up? It took me at least an hour to get my make up all ready!" Laura pouted, as she took another quick glance at herself in her pocket mirror.

Andrew adjusted his tie and shrugged his shoulders in agitation. "They better come; I don't like the idea of just throwing away my money."

"You hardly spend your money on anything anyways, not even me." Laura muttered next to him with a scoff.

Andrew was about to reply back to that when he noticed Soul and Maka arrive and sent his son a smug smile. "Well, it's about time you showed up."

Soul arched an eyebrow at his father's statement. "It's only 5 minutes past 7, what do you mean "it's about time?" We're not even late."

"Soul, I'm pretty sure the text I sent you said 7 pm sharp so there's no reason to get an attitude. Now that you're here, it's time you introduced us your friend and we get down to business." Laura stated pointedly.

Soul resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded his head as he stepped aside slightly and allowed Maka a full view of his parents. "Maka, these are my parents: Andrew and Laura Evans."

Maka smiled politely as Andrew and Laura said nothing back as they took in her dress and jewelry. 'I hope my makeup doesn't look odd. I made sure to follow all the tips that Tsubaki gave me…'

Andrew and Laura both snuck each other a look after having glanced over Maka's attire and nodded their heads causing Maka and Soul to frown at their silent communication.

"It's nice to meet you Maka, please take a seat now." Laura spoke up gently. Maka grinned a bit as Soul pulled out a chair for her before taking his own seat next to her.

A few minutes later, a couple of waiters came by and took everyone's drink and order that they would be starting out with and passed out the bread and salad appetizers.

"Ah, this is a nice restaurant; how did you hear about it?" Maka asked, hoping to break the silence that had been permeating.

Laura glanced up from her salad and smiled proudly. "Oh, we didn't really hear about this restaurant from anyone. Andrew just looked up the best restaurants in the city and this particular one had pretty good ratings. Could it be that Soul hasn't even taken you out to a fancy restaurant in this whole time you've known him?"

Maka shifted uncomfortably in her seat at that question while Soul glowered at his mother. "Actually mom, Maka and I prefer to enjoy dinners at the hotel so we won't spend as much money."

Laura furrowed her brows at that before shrugging. "If you say so."

"Ah, so tell us Maka, what are your plans for college? What do you do normally like to do in your spare time?" Andrew asked, as he finished his salad.

"Well, I plan to attend Columbia University and I'm going to Major in English and possibly do a minor in Biology. In my spare time I enjoy mainly reading." Maka explained.

Andrew appeared impressed at that and even Laura seemed to be paying more attention to her now. "Soul, you seemed to have picked a girl with brains at least this time! You know, Columbia University is right down the street from Julliard."

"So I've heard." Soul grumbled in boredom. 'I can see where this going to go…'

"Speaking of Julliard, Maka, do you play an instrument? We've been prepping Soul with the piano since he was a toddler, but we haven't ever really heard him play much besides those eerie sounding ones." Laura asked curiously.

Maka faintly heard Soul's curse under his breathe and sighed. "Actually, I don't really know much about music, mam. It's never been my strongest subject."

Both Andrew and Laura paused in their meals and barely managed to conceal their stunned looks at that revelation.

"You've…never played anything?" Andrew questioned in surprise.

Maka nodded her head and maintained a calm expression. "Actually since being on this vacation, I've learned more about music from listening to Soul play a few times."

Laura scoffed as she took a sip from her water. "Oh, that means you haven't really learned anything then. Everything Soul ever played always disturbed and freaked out our guests we would have over."

Maka's eyes widened in shock as she quickly bit down on her tongue to prevent the snide comeback she wanted to say from spilling out of her lips. 'It's not worth it Maka, don't let what they say ruin the whole dinner…'

"Mom, it's been years since you've heard me play anything." Soul mentioned cynically.

"That doesn't really matter Soul. Why would you go out with a girl who doesn't even understand music anyways? Are you really that against our family tradition?" Andrew cut in with a growl.

"Have you ever thought about the fact that maybe I don't give a fuck about the family tradition?! I don't care that Maka doesn't understand music because that's not why I'm with her. You both see that there are good qualities to her, but as soon as you found out she had no musical talent, you both started thinking of her as beneath you just like how you always act with everyone!" Soul spat back.

Andrew and Laura gaped at Soul's unusual outburst, but Soul continued on. "And since I know it's just going to keep bothering you two, the reason I'm so against going to Julliard is because I know I'll have to deal with more professors and classmates who have your guys same attitude about my music and other people in general and I…I don't want that to deal with that all over again… Dealing with it in childhood was bad enough; I'm not going into the adult world to face all that shit again…"

Soul let out a haggard breath as he sat back in his chair and felt Maka reach out and lightly touch his arm.

"Come on Soul; let's get some fresh air." Maka murmured into his ear, as Soul nodded his head and stood up.

"Please excuse us; we'll be back in a moment." Maka said to Soul's now speechless parents before they left the table.

~X~

Maka sighed as she stretched out her tense muscles and admired the serene mountain landscape of Spain against the setting sun.

"This really is a nice restaurant and a nice view, too bad the evening has been spoiled and our main courses hadn't even arrived yet." Maka contemplated tiredly.

Soul said nothing back to her as he watched her with a stoic expression. "How is that nothing they said didn't piss you off?

"Who said it didn't piss me off? I still have the taste of blood in mouth from biting my tongue!" Maka mused.

Soul stared at her blankly before shaking his head with a slight smile. "I'm sorry you had to put up with their stupid questions and crap. Nothing they've ever said usually pushes me to that point."

Maka shrugged as she moved to lean her head on his shoulder. "Oh, I've dealt with meaner questions from Liz and karate opponents than what they threw at me."

Soul grinned as he pulled her a bit closer to himself. "It would be nice if we could just stay out here instead of having to go back inside."

Maka glanced up at him and smiled. "Yeah it would, but at least you got the difficult part over with by getting all of that off your chest and I did think you speech was pretty cool."

Soul chuckled a little at that, already starting to feel better. The dinner may have started out badly and could potentially get even worse once they went back in, but at least he had this peaceful moment with Maka that made all the troubles for preparing for this night worth it.

~x~

Chapter 23 comes to an end! Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated and as usual, thanks for reading!


	24. Vacation's End

Chapter 24: Vacation's End

"Should we….should we go back inside now?" Maka murmured out into the tranquil air, as she gazed at some passing birds fly towards the mountains.

Soul grunted as he leaned an elbow against the patio's railing. "I suppose we have to; the sun has already almost gone completely down now."

Maka nodded her head as she stepped away from the balcony and gazed back inside. "They could actually be worried about you…maybe."

"Really, you're going to actually try to defend my parents even after dealing with them first hand?" Soul asked with a snort.

"I know it seems odd, but I honestly think that behind their harsh attitudes they're just trying to do what they think is best for you. Now that you've gotten your main frustrations off your chest, it's time to come to some sort of agreement." Maka reasoned.

Soul continued to have a detached expression over the whole situation before he eventually just shrugged.

"Fine, let's go get this over with, but don't let any of their possible fake apologies or tears get to you." Soul muttered, as the two of them quietly headed back inside to the table.

Laura was the first one to notice Soul and Maka's presence again as she quickly straightened up in her seat and brushed away a few stray tears before either of them saw it.

"Ah dear, they're back now." Laura stated, poking her husband's shoulder to get his attention.

Andrew glanced up from his phone and sent both Soul and Maka a glare. "Well Soul, are you done having your hissy fit now?"

"If it makes you feel better calling it that, then yeah." Soul retorted back with a sneer.

Laura glanced between her husband and son before sighing and elbowing Andrew in anger. "Stop it, both of you! This isn't how I wanted the dinner to go…"

'You didn't really try to make the atmosphere any better though by acting so snobby earlier…' Maka wisely kept to herself, as she observed the situation quietly.

"Soul, what exactly are you going to do with your future if you don't go to Julliard? Do you really not want to pursue a musical career that badly?" Andrew asked him seriously.

"I never said that I didn't want to major in Music; I just don't want you guys to make the decision for me. This would only mean that I would be picking my own music school of choice, Julliard or not." Soul explained.

Andrew and Laura shot each other a quick look before frowning and casting a glance towards Maka who had been silent during the whole discussion.

"You didn't happen to put any strange ideas into Soul's head while you were outside, did you?" Laura quizzed Maka suspiciously.

Maka managed to put on a fake smile and shook her head. "No mam, to be honest, I've told Soul he could experience a lot of good opportunities going to Julliard, but ultimately, it's his own decision where he ends up going."

Laura seemed to accept that answer as she nodded her head with a huff before she turned her attention back to Soul.

"Which schools are you looking at then Soul? They have to be ones that are at least reputable." Laura inquired.

"You would also need to look at the scholarships available, housing, and possibly schedule a tour guide to check around each facility." Andrew added in.

Soul scowled at the numerous topics Andrew and Laura started to discuss amongst themselves as they appeared to start ignoring him and Maka.

'I didn't even mention the other options of places I was looking at and yet they still end up trying to make it more about what they think my best interests will be once again…' Soul thought in annoyance.

Just as Soul was about to make another scathing remark to catch his parent's attention once more, he felt Maka's hand brush against his as she sent him a small encouraging smile.

"You don't have to tell them which schools specifically you're looking at going to. All you need to do is let them know you want to handle it all on your own and end things there." Maka stated firmly.

Soul grinned at Maka's advice as he spoke up again. "Listen you guys, I haven't made any final decisions on what school I want to attend. You both know I did apply and get into other schools besides Julliard anyways, so can we just continue dinner without bringing up this topic anymore?" Soul concluded tiredly, breaking up his parent's conversation.

Laura pouted slightly while Andrew narrowed his eyes at Soul before nodding his head slowly.

"We just want to make sure you are choosing the best options available to you and are concerned since you make it seem like summer is going to last forever. School will be starting in a few weeks after all and there's isn't much time left. Are you really sure you don't want to attend our alma mater?" Andrew asked determinedly.

Soul returned his father's serious look with one of his own. "Like I said already, I haven't completely finalized any decisions yet."

Andrew sighed, knowing that was the most he was probably going to get out of Soul for now as he leaned back in his seat. "What has being on this vacation done to you boy?"

Soul shrugged as he started to actually grin for the first time that night with his usual crooked smile. "More than you would think." 'And more than you probably like to know…'

Laura noticed Soul and Maka's hand holding and couldn't help but smile gently when she saw how much more relaxed Soul appeared to be by just having her nearby. 'I guess I can't keep being hostile towards a girl that actually seems to make Soul happy and brings out the best in him…'

Maka let out a small sigh of relief as the tension seemed to be slowly leaving the table. 'Things may still be shaky between Soul and his parents right now, but at least they made some progress tonight.'

Andrew twirled his half empty glass of water with a frown before straightening up. "Well, I suppose we can save this discussion as you said for another time as you want Soul. For now, let's order our main courses now and get this dinner actually started."

~X~

"Do you have any two's?" Tsubaki asked Black Star lightly, as the two played a match of goldfish.

Black Star looked down at his hand before shaking his head and scowling. "Tsubaki, are you getting bored with this game just as much as I am?"

Tsubaki sighed and nodded her head as she placed her cards down on the bed. "Yeah, it's much more fun to play card games when at least Maka and Soul are here with us or it's just a larger group of people in general."

Black Star grinned as he picked up Tsubaki's scattered cards and gazed over them. "Well, there is one card game we haven't played it…"

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at Black Star's tone. "And that would be?"

"Strip Poker!" Black Star announced cheerfully, laughing as Tsubaki's face reddened before she shook her head and turned away from him.

Black Star frowned slightly as he noticed Tsubaki's distant look while she started to watch TV and pretty much ignore him.

'Did my joke really bother her that much or is something else on her mind?' Black Star wondered to himself, before he scooted over on the bed to get closer to her.

"Tsubaki…is something bugging you? You've been kind of out of it since we came back from dinner." Black Star mentioned.

"Hmm, no not really. I guess dinner made me a little sleepy is all." Tsubaki replied back with a smile, but Black Star still kept a skeptical look on his face and grabbed the remote to turn off the TV.

Tsubaki turned away from the now blank screen and sent Black Star a miffed look before she softly sighed. "I guess it's easier for you to see through me than I thought."

Black Star smirked and nodded his head as he set the remote back down and wrapped an arm around her. "So, tell me what's worrying you."

Tsubaki shrugged as she leaned into Black Star's warmth. "Nothing is really bothering me, it's just that it hit me a few days ago that we only have 2 weeks left of this vacation before we go back home."

Black Star furrowed his brows at that. "True, I guess the reality of us going back home hasn't really hit me yet. We still haven't even told Soul and Maka our plans for that hot air balloon ride yet since they've been so distracted."

"Black Star, I know you told me you wanted to go to community college, but what do you plan to major in once you transfer to a 4-year school?" Tsubaki asked him gently.

Black Star scratched his head as he tried to come up with an answer to that wouldn't make him sound dumb. 'Damn, now that I think about it, I haven't really looked into what I want to do beyond starting out at community college…'

Tsubaki laughed a little at Black Star's lost look before shaking her head. "You don't have to come up with an answer off the top of your head Black Star; it's just something for you to think about really."

"No, this is bad! All of you except for me at least have an idea of what you want to do with your futures, but I don't!" Black Star grumbled out in realization.

Tsubaki pouted as she realized her innocent question had actually caused Black Star to worry and stress. "Black Star, if it makes you feel any better, I'm not 100% sure on whether or not I want my major to be Education or Psychology."

"That's still a plan though! It's more than what I have…" Black Star remarked back with a scowl.

'Why is Black Star of all people getting seriously distressed over picking a major?! Does he think I'll possibly think less of him or just dump him because he hasn't completely figured out what career path he wants to go on…?' Tsubaki mused to herself, before Black Star interrupted her thoughts by grabbing both of her hands.

"Tsubaki, I may not know exactly what I want to do with my life yet, but I do know that I'm going to work my ass off in these coming two years so I can transfer and get accepted into the University of Nevada to be with you." Black Star stated seriously.

Tsubaki blushed slightly and blinked in confusion at Black Star's declaration before she nodded her head with a grin.

"If you take all that energy you get out of bragging about yourself all the time and put it into your schoolwork, then I'm sure you'll be fine." Tsubaki stated cheerfully.

Black Star arched an eyebrow as he loosened his grip on Tsubaki's hands. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Tsubaki only grinned as she moved to peck him lightly on cheek before turning back on the TV. "Just exactly what you think it means of course."

~X~

Maka yawned as she plopped down into soft linens of the hotel's bed before she moved to take off her high heels and rub her sore feet in relief. Even though the dinner with Soul's parents had started out awkward and uncomfortable, it had managed to end on at least a positive note with Andrew and Laura even acknowledging her as 'Maka' and not just 'Soul's girlfriend.'

Maka turned around to check on Soul and smiled as she saw that he was completely passed out next to her in bed. 'I guess that dinner really wore him out more mentally and emotionally than I thought.'

Eventually, Maka got up out of bed and changed out of her dress and into her usual striped pajamas as she returned back to her former position in the bed and saw that Soul was still asleep.

"Geez Soul, are you so tired that you're just going to choose to sleep in your suit instead of go change? I know you're not that lazy and that you can hear me." Maka spoke up.

Maka scowled when a few seconds passed and Soul appeared to be continuing to ignore her by sleeping peacefully.

'Hmm, maybe Soul really is asleep, but it's only a little past 10 pm right now. I guess though it shouldn't seem so strange since he is normally out faster than I am.' Maka reasoned.

Maka sighed under her breathe as she gently brushed a hand through his white hair with a smile. "How is it that you can look so attractive even when you're asleep?" Maka mumbled softly.

"I would have to say it's because I give off a cool vibe even when snoozing." Soul replied back with a smirk, as he grabbed Maka's hand before she could move away from him in surprise.

"What the…you were awake this whole time?!" Maka cried out in a mix of embarrassment and shock.

Soul opened his red eyes sleepily and only grinned even more which gave Maka her answer. "Oh, don't stop on account of you knowing I'm awake now! Tell me what else you secretly say or think about me while you think I'm not paying attention."

Maka growled and moved to grab her book from the nightstand as Soul sat up alarm. "Wait Maka, I was only joking! You don't have to-"

"Maka-chop!" Maka cried out, as slammed her book on Soul's head and cut him off. Soul sent her glare as he watched her put her book back down on the dresser.

"You always take every joke or tease I say too seriously." Soul scoffed out, as he rubbed his now aching head.

Maka only shrugged and move to grab some of the bed sheets to cover her legs. "Whatever, I've been taking it easy on you. That's the first time I've actually hit you using my book in weeks."

'You could have kept it that way.' Soul thought with a scowl, before a smug look came back onto his face. "Don't think I'm just going to drop you saying I'm attractive though."

'Damn it, why couldn't I have just checked to see if Soul was really sleeping or not before I opened my mouth!' Maka thought with a blush, as she chose to look away from Soul's mischievous grin and flip through channels as a distraction.

"Oh, you're going to try to ignore me now, huh Maka?" Soul asked in amusement, as he breathed gently into her ear and made her fluster her even more.

Maka squirmed as Soul continued to lean in closer to her until she finally turned to face him. "Alright, I'm attracted to you! Is that what you wanted me to admit?"

Soul grinned as he moved back from her and nodded his head. "See, now that wasn't so hard to admit, was it?"

Maka sent him side glance before smirking. "Actually, it was; I don't enjoy stroking your ego."

"Would you rather be stroking another part of me then?" Soul asked suggestively before he felt the impact of Maka's book once again on his head.

"Honestly Soul, was that perverted remark even worth it?" Maka questioned, trying to keep her cheeks from reddening once again.

Soul reached out and lightly flicked Maka's forehead with a laugh. "Well, if the only punishment I get is a small hit on my head then yeah, I would say it's worth teasing you."

~X~

"So, how did everything go the other night with your old man and lady?" Black Star asked Soul, as they all ate brunch together again for the first time in a while.

Soul chuckled at Black Star's names for his parents as he shook his head. "Man, they were pretty much the same as usual, trying to get me to see things their way. At least they seem to be okay with me possibly not going to Julliard."

Black Star nodded his head as he spread some jam on his toast. "Well, it's not too surprising that they still seem to think that school is the superior one. It's where basically all of your family went."

"You kept your smart mouth under control, right Maka?" Tsubaki questioned from beside him with smile.

"I almost slipped up, but I bit down on my tongue just in time." Maka replied back amusingly.

Soul added some salt to his omelet with a sigh. "So, what's the plan for today? Or are we going to be just chilling at the hotel again?"

Black Star and Tsubaki glanced at each other before nodding their heads. "Actually, we've been meaning to tell the both of you that we found an activity that will end this vacation in an extravagant way."

"It's not something we've done already, is it?" Maka inquired dully.

Black Star frowned and sent Maka a look before continuing on. "Of course it isn't! It's a hot air balloon ride over Barcelona!"

Maka's eyes lit up at that while Soul appeared impressed. "Wow that actually isn't something we've done yet! When can we go on it?" Maka asked excitedly.

"I'm glad you're enthusiastic about it Maka, but we probably won't be able to actually book it until later on in the week since they only do weekends." Tsubaki explained.

Maka sighed and leaned back into her seat while Soul didn't seem bothered by that tidbit. "I think it's better that way; my parents will be traveling back home by Friday morning."

"We should book it on Friday then, simply just to celebrate them leaving!" Black Star suggested with a laugh.

"I'm fine with booking it on Friday, but what time do they actually start the trips?" Maka questioned.

Tsubaki pulled out her phone to glance over the picture she had taken of the price packages. "They only do the trips in the morning so we would have to get up early, but they do provide us with breakfast if we choose the 2-hour option."

Maka nodded her head as Tsubaki finished listing out the details. "Okay, just send the picture to me by text so I can look at it later on too."

"Well, I think everyone is done eating now. Tsubaki and I are going to go lounge by the pool if you need us." Black Star mused, as he got up to throw away his trash with Tsubaki following behind him.

Soul and Maka watched them leave down the hallway before Maka turned her attention towards Soul.

"Hey, I know its off-topic from going on the balloon ride, but what school are you thinking of attending?" Maka asked him curiously.

"Why the sudden question; am I not allowed to keep it a secret?" Soul replied back simply.

Maka pouted at that, since Soul did have a point. 'I guess it really isn't my place to pry, but I do want to know…'

"I've gotten into plenty of music schools in New York, but I think the one I would prefer to go to over Julliard is the Manhattan School of Music." Soul contemplated.

"Ah, isn't that a private school?" Maka mentioned to which Soul nodded his head.

"Most top of the line music schools aren't cheap Maka. I'm sure going to Columbia would be out of your price range if you didn't have that scholarship. Most of the music schools I applied to offered me scholarships to help pay for it too." Soul stated.

Maka twiddled with one of her pigtails as she thought it over. "Still though, it will be stressful having to work while going to school if you don't intend to get any help from your parents paying for it."

Soul shrugged as he sat up from his seat and moved out of the booth. "It's not like I will be the first or last college student to ever do that."

"Okay, if that's the path you want to go on Soul then don't let anyone stop you." Maka said positively, as they got up to leave the restaurant.

Soul stretched his arms out lazily behind his head as the two of them walked back down the hall to their shared room. "I wonder if I should wait on telling my parents or just let them know what I plan to do once we get back home…"

"They will probably try to meddle and give you more advice if you tell them before they leave, but they'll be pissed off if you wait till the last minute to tell them too." Maka mused.

Soul grinned slightly as he shook his head. "So, it's pretty much a damned if I do and damned if I don't situation then."

~X~

"Oh dear, these five days went by too fast! Are you sure you don't want to stay here for just a little bit longer?" Laura questioned her husband, as they both stood at the check-out area of the hotel.

Andrew sighed as he glanced through some messages on his phone. "You know we can't. We're already behind in some paperwork that we'll need to get back to once we arrive home. Besides, our main purpose for coming here was to talk to Soul again and that was accomplished."

Laura groaned as she pulled her purses closer to herself. "You can be so boring sometimes, it's no wonder Soul has been trying to avoid you."

"He's been trying to avoid the both of us; not just me!" Andrew retorted back. "Anyways, that dinner could be the last we'll see of him for a while since we've had no contact with him since then."

"I suppose so, our flight leaves at 9 am and Soul has never been known to be an early riser unless it was by force." Laura considered, as she noted the small specks of orange beginning to light up the sky.

Andrew patted Laura's hand as she let out a sad sigh. "Don't worry about it too much; the main point is that Soul is at least taking interest in going to school, which is a step forward from how he used to behave."

Laura nodded her head with a frown before blinking in surprise as she noticed some familiar white hair down the corridor. "Wait a minute, isn't that Soul over there?"

Andrew looked in the direction Laura was staring in and gained a surprised look as well. "Why would he be up at 7 am?"

Laura shrugged as she moved out of her husband's grip happily. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Maybe he came to see us off!"

"I highly doubt that." Andrew grumbled, as he reluctantly followed his wife over to where Soul was.

Soul could barely keep his eyes open as leaned against a nearby wall until he felt Maka pinch his arm once again. "Soul, at least try to stay awake! We'll have to be standing during the balloon ride you know."

"Yeah, okay Maka. I don't need you to remind me for like the third time already." Soul grumbled back.

Maka sighed and cracked her knuckles in preparation to use a more painful method to break Soul out of his sleepy state until they both suddenly heard what sounded like Laura's voice in the distant.

Soul straightened up from his position against the wall and looked around. "Did you hear that?"

Maka nodded her head as she glanced around too. "I swear I just heard your mom's voice nearby."

"You did hear me! What are you two doing up at this time of day?" Laura asked, her hazel eyes bright with excitement.

Soul and Maka looked between each other, unsure of who should be the one to answer her question. "Uh, we we're about to meet up Black Star and Tsubaki to go on this morning balloon tour." Soul finally responded.

'Oh, I guess I shouldn't have assumed that Soul would want to see us again before we left…' Laura mused, as Andrew approached them too.

Maka glanced at the luggage surrounded the pair. "Ah, so you're flight leaves out this morning?"

Andrew nodded his head as he glanced at his watch. "In about two hours to be precise; this week went by so fast."

Maka smiled and nodded her head in understanding. "Did you at least enjoy it?"

Andrew casted a brief glance at Soul who was watching him with indifference before shrugging. "It had its ups and downs."

'Well, I guess I better just tell them now while they're standing in front of me.' Soul considered.

"Listen, mom and dad. There is something I need to tell you concerning Julliard." Soul stated sharply.

"Oh, did you change your mind about going there?" Andrew questioned, while Laura gained a hopeful expression.

Soul sighed and shook his head as he didn't miss the annoyed looks that passed on his parent's faces. "Before you guys start thinking or accusing me or even Maka of anything, I've been thinking over this decision on my own for the past few weeks and I've decided I would rather attend the Manhattan School of Music over Julliard."

Laura scoffed as she balled her hands into fists. "And what does that school have that Julliard doesn't?"

"I'll admit that they aren't many differences between them, but it's a choice I made on my own and I don't really care if you like or not." Soul explained.

Laura looked ready to snap back at Soul's attitude, but Andrew only shook his head to stop her from saying anything. "Soul, this is a decision you're mother and I will take some time getting used to you."

Soul nodded his head with a shrug. "I wasn't expecting you guys to automatically accept it."

Laura stared back up at her husband as he scowled slightly before looking way. "Well, your mother and I have a flight to catch. Hopefully we'll hear from you again before you pack up for college."

"Do you actually want to meet with them before you move out?" Maka asked Soul, once Andrew and Laura were far enough down the hallway to avoid hearing them.

Soul said nothing back as he watched his Dad pay for his room fees before both him and his mom headed over to the taxis.

"I know that I should, but even when they attempt to be friendly and polite, they eventually end up dropping the act and go back to acting like their usual snobby selves." Soul muttered.

Maka nodded her head with a sigh just as she saw Black Star and Tsubaki come into view. "Yo Soul, was that your parents we just saw leaving out?" Black Star questioned.

"Yeah, they're finally heading back home." Soul answered back.

Black Star grinned as he adjusted his small backpack on his shoulders. "It's about damn time that they left! You two can breathe easy now I bet."

Maka rolled her eyes at how excited Black Star was. "Black Star, you're acting as if you were one who had to deal with them this whole time."

Black Star chose to ignore Maka's comment as he walked ahead of them towards the parking lot. "Come on you guys, we don't want the balloon ride to start without us!"

~X~

Maka shivered uncomfortably as a cold wind hit her once the balloon started to go higher into the air. 'Why did I pick to dress in a short sleeved top and shorts when I knew the higher you go in the air the colder it gets?'

Maka began to rub her arms in an attempt to generate heat before her vision was suddenly obscured by something being thrown over her head. Maka frowned and pulled the object off her head before she realized it was Soul's black jacket.

Maka glanced over in Soul's direction and saw that he was looking away from her with a scowl. "You should have dressed more appropriately knowing where we were going."

"I wasn't really thinking about it when I first got up." Maka mused, as she put Soul's jacket on with a smile. "What about you though, aren't you going to get cold?" Maka added on with concern.

Soul shook his head as he turned to face her. "I'm standing where the sun will hit me enough that I won't get too cold."

"Ugh, can you two save your sappiness for another time? Tsubaki and I are trying to enjoy the sunrise without dealing with your mushy behavior." Black Star cut in from behind them, as he faked gagged.

Maka zipped up Soul's jacket before shaking her head at Black Star's immaturity. "I still don't understand what Tsubaki sees in you."

Tsubaki only chuckled lightly at that before their tour guide got their attention. "So, the time is currently about 8:05 am and if you look to your left, you'll be able to see Montserrat up in the mountains along with Pyrenees; by looking slightly towards your right, you'll be able to get a good look at the Mediterranean Sea and the coast line."

Everyone gazed in awe at the landscape as a mix of the sun's orange and yellow glow swept across the rolling green hills and slopes. "I feel like we've been around this area before. Does this place happen to be close by Tarragona?" Maka asked the tour guide, as she finished snapping a few photos.

"Not exactly, but Tarragona is about an hour train ride away from Montserrat." He answered back as, he adjusted the level of the balloon to take them around the mountainous areas safely.

"Hey, when exactly will be getting that breakfast part including in our payment? I'm starting to get hungry." Black Star piped up.

Tsubaki sighed and poked Black Star's arm slightly at his rude tone, but the tour guide didn't pay him any mind.

"Oh, if you guys are hungry we can head back down and I'll take you guys to the designated restaurant included in part of your tour." He answered.

Everyone seemed to be in agreement to that as they allowed the tour guide to take them back down and over to a Catalonian breakfast.

Maka laughed as she held up her glass of complimentary champagne. "While I'm normally not the type of person to drink, especially in the morning hours, I think a cheers is in order to celebrate this being our last big excursion! "

"Cheers!" They all said in unison, as they all clinked their glasses together and drank together all at once.

Soul set his glass down and picked up an orange to peel from the fruit bowl. "So, this is really the last big thing we'll all do together, huh?"

Maka nodded her head somberly. "Yeah, at least until we go on winter break, but even then, that's only a month."

"There's no reason for you guys to be so mopey about it. We'll just find an even better place to go to in the winter or even next year!" Black Star announced optimistically.

"Oh yeah, did you ever think about how you would pay for our next grand adventure?" Soul snorted sarcastically.

Black Star sent Soul a glare as he took a bite from his sausage. "I didn't ask for your sarcasm."

Tsubaki smiled comfortably as she gazed towards the sky and watched a few passing clouds. 'I feel so conflicted; a part of me is ready to go back home, but the other half of me isn't. Maybe it's because I've gotten so used to just spending all my days with Black Star that I've forgotten what responsibilities I have back at home…'

"Tsubaki, are you okay? You've barely taken a bite from your food." Maka asked from across from her.

Tsubaki blinked in puzzlement before nodding her head with a smile. "I'm alright; I just have a lot on my mind."

Maka frowned slightly in concern for her friend, before shrugging and turning towards Soul to talk to him.

"Are you still bothered by our conversation concerning school from the other night?" Black Star grumbled from beside her.

Tsubaki shook her head as she tenderly touched Black Star's shoulder. "Of course not, Black Star; I told you already to take your time concerning what major you would go into. I was only thinking about the fact that I'll have to get back into the flow of doing schoolwork and not being just lazy all the time."

Black Star nodded his head as head as he set his fork down onto his plate. 'Geez, the fact that we're all pretty much talking about school right now really drives home the point that we'll be back home soon…'

~x~

Chapter 24 comes to an end! Thanks for taking time to read it as always!


	25. Separate Ways

Final Chapter: Chapter 25: Separate Ways

Neither Maka nor Soul made a move to stop the incessant ringing of their bedroom's alarm once 6 am finally arrived.

'Today can't really be the day, can it? Will we really be back at home tomorrow afternoon?' Maka thought drowsily, as she cracked her eyes open slightly before turning back over in the sheets.

Soul grumbled tiredly as he eventually lifted his head from his pillow. "Maka, turn off the damn alarm already, it's starting to give me a headache."

"Why should I do it? The alarm is on your side stupid." Maka retorted back sleepily.

Soul let out a groan as he moved his hand lazily out from the covers to blindly search for the alarm in the darkness before he eventually found what felt like it and shoved it to the ground harshly.

Maka nearly jumped at the sudden banging of the alarm against the floor and turned back over to give Soul an annoyed look.

"Geez Soul, there's no reason to be so grumpy. It's not a good idea to destroy the hotel's property on the day we check out since you might end up paying for it."

Soul only shrugged as he made himself comfortable again in the bed. "It's not broken so it'll be fine. I just need 5 more minutes of sleep."

'We'll end up being late if we continue to stay in bed…' Maka mused, as she finally moved out of bed and went to open the curtains to let in the small amount of sunlight to piss off Soul even further.

"Come on Soul, you'll have plenty of time to sleep on the airplane. We need to at least eat some breakfast before Stein and Marie take us to the airport." Maka warned.

Soul yawned as he sat up and glanced down at the alarm clock to see it was about 6:10 am. "What's the big hurry? You know they don't start serving breakfast until 6:30, right?"

Maka rolled her eyes as she picked out her clothes she would wear for the long day ahead from the closet. "Yes Soul I know that, but I don't want to make Tsubaki and Black Star wait on us like they've been having to lately."

"It's not like we're going to be late since it's only a 5 minute walk, in fact, you could even save time by just staying in your pajamas instead of changing. It's not like your pajamas reveal much of your hidden figure anyways-"Soul was swiftly cut off as Maka balled up his clothes and threw them at him.

"Stop making excuses and just change already or I'll use my book next." Maka grumbled out, as she walked towards the bathroom to change.

"I give her a compliment and she still hits me and on top of that, I'll have to re-iron my shirt and jeans now." Soul muttered with a sigh.

At breakfast, Black Star and Tsubaki had already begun self-serving themselves when they saw Soul and Maka approach them and grab a plate.

"Hey you guys, are you two already packed up and ready to go?" Maka asked them with a smile.

"Well I am, but Black Star here still has some clothes he needs to pack up." Tsubaki mused, as she gave a side glance towards Black Star who was putting some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"Don't worry about me Tsubaki! You know it will only take me like 5 seconds to have everything zipped up and ready to go." Black Star stated proudly.

Maka leaned back comfortably in her seat once everyone had gotten their food and settled down at their usual favorite spot to eat at by the terrace.

"You know, it's funny how just a few months ago Tsubaki and I never would have imagined we would be sitting here eating with you guys." Maka considered aloud, as she finished taking a bite from her pancake.

Black Star grinned and nodded his head as he looked up from his plate. "Oh yeah, but back then Soul and I knew you were both secretly into us."

Maka and Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at that. "Uh, actually we both pretty much hated you guys and thought you were annoying. I'm not sure where you got that idea from…"

Soul smirked as he wiped away some jam from his lips. "Oh Maka, don't deny that you started to fall for me once you realized how cool I was when I wrapped up your bandages from that fist fight you got into with David and Victor."

Maka blushed slightly and glanced off towards outside with a huff. "I can't believe you're bringing that up…"

"It was the first time we had a conversation without really insulting each other…sort of." Soul realized with a chuckle.

"Tsubaki, what was it about me that made you fall for me? How awesome I always am? My devilishly handsome good looks? My strength?" Black Star suddenly asked curiously.

"It certainly wasn't for your brains…" Maka interrupted dully, causing Black Star to send her glare and Soul to snicker.

Tsubaki laughed and shook her head at all of Black Star's options. "To be honest, it was when I saw you playing soccer with those little kids on Las Ramblas street that I began to see you in a different light."

Black Star scowled at Soul and Maka's smug grins. "Nothing about my looks attracted you?"

Tsubaki blushed and fidgeted slightly in her seat before sighing. "I never said that."

Black Star grinned and pumped a fist victoriously into the air. "Aha, I knew it!"

Maka sighed as she watched Tsubaki attempt to calm Black Star down before he decided to hop onto the table to celebrate and cause people to stare in their direction.

"Do you think he'll keep on acting like this even when we get home?" Maka asked Soul.

Soul took a sip from his water before he nodded his head. "It doesn't matter where Black Star is for him to try and make things all about himself, but I have noticed that he takes things at least more seriously since being with Tsubaki."

~X~

"Did you guy's all double check to make sure you left nothing behind in your rooms? I would hate for any of you to be at the airport and realize that you forgot something." Marie questioned.

Everyone nodded their heads to Marie's question. "One of the bellboys even did a room inspection to make sure everything was in order before we checked out." Maka explained.

Stein glanced over everyone's luggage before sighing and moving to pick up a bag. "I hope all of this luggage will fit in the van."

"Why would it not? There's only one bag per person." Tsubaki inquired.

Marie's golden eyes brightened as she shook her head in disagreement. "Actually, Stein and I have our own baggage in the back also."

"And why did you guys pack up? Are you planning to come with us or something?" Black Star asked with a chuckle, as he brushed away some dust from his dark grey top.

Stein closed back the trunk of the van and gave Black Star his usual wicked grin. "We are coming with you; I'm surprised Marie didn't at least tell one of you over the phone."

Marie smiled sheepishly as she felt all eyes turn on her. "Oops, I may have left that part out, but it was supposed to be a surprise until Stein ruined it!"

Maka shook her head as she adjusted her turquoise blouse with a laugh. "It's no big deal really. What makes you want to head back to Death City with us though?"

"Well, taking you guys around the city got us to thinking, Stein and I haven't really gone on vacation in a long time. The only time we're really not working is when it's the weekend or some national holiday and it would be nice to see our old friends again." Marie concluded.

Stein sniggered as he turned the screw in his head in amusement. "That may be why Marie wants to go back, but I believe I've left behind some of my old experiments in my lab that I would like to investigate over once again."

Maka shivered uncomfortably as she backed away from Stein a bit. "I guess that's something to look forward to also…"

"It's nice that you guys want to get away from it all for a bit too. How long do you guys plan to stay?" Tsubaki asked.

Marie looked towards Stein who only shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we really aren't too sure yet. I'm pretty sure it will be at least for a month or so."

"Anyways, we can continue conversing in the car, let's head to the airport and get all our stuff checked in." Marie added in, as she headed inside the van.

After getting their luggage secured onto the plane and going through security, everyone relaxed into the seats by the terminal to wait until it was time for boarding.

Black Star watched as Tsubaki contently gazed at a few passing airplanes take off and land on different runways before scowling. 'That's right; I still have no idea what the hell I'm going to do in terms of a college major. I should take some time during this long flight to at least read up on something.'

"Tsubaki, I'm going to head over to the news stand to pick up a few magazines. Do you want me to get you anything?" Black Star questioned.

Tsubaki looked away from the passing planes and tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "Um, well if it's not too much trouble can you get me some gum? I don't want my ears to pop as much as they did when we first came here."

Black Star gave her a thumb up and set his carry-on luggage next to her before he walked off in the direction of the store.

Maka blinked in confusion as she looked up from her crossword puzzle to watch Black Star leave. "Uh, since when does Black Star ever want to read anything?"

Tsubaki took a seat next to her and shook her with a smile. "He got this idea into his head that I'll think less of him because he has no idea what he wants to major in for college."

Maka laughed lightly at that. "Oh, is that all? A lot of people change their minds between majors when their freshman."

"That's one of the things I told him about, but you know how he is." Tsubaki mused with a wave of her hand.

Maka nodded her head in understanding before glancing across from them at Soul who had his skull-shaped headphones in and appeared to be asleep. "Well at least he's trying to be productive, unlike some people…"

"Do you think he heard you say that?" Tsubaki asked teasingly, as she observed Soul stretch his shoulders out a bit, but still keep his eyes closed.

Maka rolled her eyes as she thought back to the other night. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did. I've learned he likes to pretend to be asleep to eavesdrop."

Maka sighed as she closed up her puzzle book and admired some of the morning light that hit against some of the passing plane's wings.

"This is really it, huh?" Maka mumbled out softly.

Tsubaki nodded her head as she flicked a loose hair away that had fallen onto her purple top. "Truth be told, I've been dreading and looking forward to this day for a while. It will be nice to see Angela in person again, but I'm only going to be able to hang out with you and the rest of the gang for like a week more before we all split up for a good while."

Maka leaned her head against her palm dejectedly. "I know, but we'll make the most of it like Black Star was saying and try not to be so sad about it."

"You guys aren't going to same college/university?" Marie cut in from the side curiously.

Maka and Tsubaki shook their heads as Marie frowned before perking up as a thought came to her.

"When Stein and I first moved to Spain, the beginning few months of adjusting was hell for me. Not only was there the change in culture and language, but it was also the homesickness I got of having Stein as my only real friend." Marie mused.

"So how did you learn to cope and get past it?" Maka asked in interest. 'After all, I'm going to be pretty much experiencing that same situation except for the language and cultural issue…'

"Ah, well basically I'm sure you've already been told it before, but you just go out and make new friends and do new activities to basically keep yourself busy." Marie reasoned.

'Well that's obvious. I guess though since Soul won't be that far of a drive away I'll adjust okay." Maka pondered.

Marie looked between Maka and Tsubaki's sad expressions and felt her frown deepen. 'Looks like my intentions to make them feel better backfired.' "I'm sorry, it seems like I made the situation even worse by causing you guys start thinking all negatively! I'm sure you guys will be able to keep in touch just fine with all the new forms of communication!"

"Try giving them some positive news Marie." Stein chimed in with a smirk.

Marie huffed and blushed slightly at Stein's teasing. "Err; well at least this flight is only 14 hours so we'll reach Death City by about 1:10 pm tomorrow! I think you guys said it took longer coming here, right?"

Maka and Tsubaki sighed and shook her heads in unison. "You really are bad at this."

~X~

Spirit groaned nervously as he paced back forth outside the terminal where he would expect to see Maka and Tsubaki coming out of in just a few minutes.

'Oh, I hope Maka didn't change too much from being on this vacation. I'm not sure how much that Soul fellow could have corrupted her…' Spirit pondered before he felt a tap on his shoulder interrupt his thoughts.

Spirit turned and was greeted with Kid giving him a friendly smile. "There's no need to be nervous."

Spirit chuckled slightly as he brushed a hand through his red hair with a sigh. "I know, but it's been 3 months since I've actually seen her. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care either way if I was here or not."

Kid shook his head at Spirit's assumption. "You two may not have the best relationship, but she doesn't hate you."

"Yeah, Kid's right Mr. Albarn and besides, you have us here as support too!" Kim added in excitedly, as she started to hold up their welcome back banner a bit more when they saw people beginning to exit from the plane.

Everyone waited a few more minutes in anticipation before Jacqueline saw Maka's familiar blonde pigtails and ran up to her eagerly.

"Welcome home Maka and Tsubaki!" Kim and Jackie cried out together as they tossed some confetti onto them.

Maka beamed as she returned her friend's hugs happily. "You guys didn't have to do all this for us!"

Tsubaki pulled a few streamers out of her hair before calling out towards Black Star and Soul who had been standing off to the side watching silently.

"So, we finally meet you guys in person, huh?" Ox Ford mused curiously, as he glanced over Soul and Black Star's attire.

Kim rolled her eyes and pushed Ox Ford aside slightly. "Stop being so weird Ox! There's no need for you to examine them so closely."

"It's nice to finally meet you guys outside of a computer screen." Jacqueline mused, as she shook Black Star and Soul's hands with a smile.

"How come you didn't throw any confetti to greet us?! I'm just as deserving!" Black Star asked sharply.

Jackie narrowed her eyes slightly at Black Star's question. 'So this is what Maka meant by Tsubaki's boyfriend being full of himself…'

Spirit twiddled his thumbs nervously as he waited patiently for Maka to look in his direction and broke into a wide grin when he saw her finally turn his way and start to smile.

'Maka finally sees me! And could it be, maybe she is actually happy to see me?!' Spirit thought anxiously, as he watched her walk in his direction only to find she went directly past him towards Kid.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to be here either! I figured you would be busy with work." Maka exclaimed, ignoring her father's crying from nearby them.

"Actually, I do have to work this evening, but I thought I could stop by to at least see you in person again before college starts." Kid explained.

Liz walked up from behind Kid and sent Maka a smirk. "I see you've gotten a bit of tan, huh Maka?"

'Why did they invite her to come greet us; doesn't she still hate me?' Maka wondered, before she sent Liz a grin back.

"Yeah, I did go to the beach quite a bit, but I still found time to do plenty of different activities. I even brought everyone back a small souvenir."

Liz gained a surprised look at that before frowning suspiciously. "Oh, really? That would mean everyone except for me then I assume?"

Maka shook her head as she set down her backpack and pulled out a package that had her name on it. "I got all the girls a scarf in their favorite color."

Liz blinked in shock once she opened the package and was greeted with a light pink silk scarf before she gazed back up at Maka. "I don't understand why you would do this knowing the history we've had with each other."

Maka shrugged as she put her backpack back onto her shoulders. "True, but you're friends with my friends and I don't see any good out of holding onto a grudge, do you?"

Liz glanced over the scarf again before nodding her head with a smile. "Just when I think I've figured you out Maka, you surprise me with this."

"I'm taking that as we can finally start to move beyond the past." Maka replied back, before she felt an arm wrap around her.

"I figured I had lost you in the crowds." Soul mused, as sent a nod in Kid's direction.

Maka laughed and shook her head. "What crowd? There's only like 10 of us here."

"Whatever, I've been trying to find you ever since your dad started sending me dirty looks." Soul stated.

Maka frowned and looked amongst their friends for him. "Where is he, wasn't he right beside me a few minutes ago?"

"Actually, I'm behind you two." Spirit grumbled, startling them.

Maka sighed and cracked a small smile for him. "Hi Papa, how are you?"

"What do you mean 'how are you?' I know you saw me a few minutes ago, but you chose to ignore me as usual!" Spirit cried out sadly.

Soul rolled his eyes at Spirit's childish behavior. "Is this how he always is?"

Maka nodded her head with a scowl. "Fortunately, he's not acting as bad as he normally does."

Spirit eventually managed to calm himself down and glowered when he realized Soul had his arm wrapped around Maka this whole time. "Who said you could get so close to my daughter?!"

Soul arched an eyebrow before grinning wickedly. "Well, it's not like she's stopping me from having my arm wrapped around her and besides, we've gotten much closer than this in the past…"

Maka blushed and elbowed Soul's side quickly. "Stop it, are you trying to piss him off and give him a heart attack at the same time?!"

Soul smirked as he watched Spirit's face move from anger into one of horror. "I think it is for the best that he found out now rather than later, though I'm not sure how he couldn't have already figured it out based on your last phone call."

Maka sighed and was about to speak up again until they all heard Black Star call out to them. "Everyone is starting to head out now; we should go get the rest of our luggage."

Soul and Maka nodded their heads in agreement as they followed Black Star and Tsubaki to baggage claim leaving behind Spirit to collect his thoughts.

"I'm surprised that you honestly didn't know about the nature of their relationship." Stein said with a chuckle, as he approached his old colleague.

Spirit snapped out of his shock and sent both Stein and Marie a glare. "I knew about their relationship, but I didn't want to think that they were….that they were doing that! Why didn't you guys try to stop them, especially since you chose to come back to Death City with them?"

Marie smiled widely as started to shake her head. "We'll be honest with you Spirit; we encouraged both of their relationships to happen by taking them on tours around the city!"

"They're both adults now anyways, it's not like we should have interfered anyways. And you're not really one to talk considering what rumors go on about you and your many relationships." Stein added in, grinning when Spirit grimaced and looked away.

"I don't care if they are adults now; I still plan to keep an eye on anything that punk tries to do with her!" Spirit muttered.

~X~

Tsubaki frowned at the sudden silence that filled the air as everyone kept to their own thoughts on the taxi ride back into town.

'We were all so excited when we were greeted our friends at the airport, I guess all the jet lag and time zone differences are really starting to hit us though I still want to see Angela before I head back to the apartment to call it a day.' Tsubaki reasoned, as the taxi came to an abrupt stop.

Maka opened her eyes sleepily as she leaned her head up from Soul's shoulder. "Are we already at your place?"

Soul focused his crimson eyes before nodding his head and stepping out of the car to stretch. "That was quicker than I thought it would be. I forgot how close we live to the airport really."

Soul turned to help Maka get out of the car and frowned when he realized Black Star and Tsubaki were still sitting inside.

"Aren't you guys coming out? Particularly you Black Star since you live here?" Maka questioned.

Black Star shook his head as he pointed in the opposite direction of town. "Tsubaki and I are going to go greet Angela before we relax. You guys can start unpacking without us." He explained, before he closed the door of the taxi back.

Soul shrugged and nodded his head as he moved to pick up his luggage to carry inside with Maka hesitantly following behind him once Tsubaki sent her a nod to go on ahead.

Tsubaki hummed and turned to face Black Star as the taxi started to drive off again to her and Maka's side of the city. "Are you sure you didn't want to wait on greeting Angela until we both aren't feeling so tired?"

Black Star shook his head and sent Tsubaki a confident grin. "I still have plenty of energy and you and I both don't want to put off seeing her any longer. Does she even know that we arrived back today?"

"I don't think the director told her so I guess it will be nice to see what type of look will come onto her face when she sees me!" Tsubaki speculated.

Upon arriving outside the organization though, a rushing thought suddenly occurred to Tsubaki that made her pause from walking inside.

'I hope it won't seem like we're trying to push too much onto Angela again. Even though she seemed okay with greeting Black Star when we had our second FaceTime, I know her moods can change easily and it's been weeks since that last phone call…'

"You're not getting cold feet after all we've been through to get to this moment, are you?" Black Star asked from beside her, as he reached out and gripped her hand firmly.

"Of course not, I've been looking forward to this day for a long time!" Tsubaki replied back with a smile, as she led the way inside.

Ms. Johnson, the director had been filing some paperwork when she saw Tsubaki and Black Star approach her.

Ms. Johnson smiled and set down a file onto her desk. "Tsubaki, is that you? Have you come back early from your trip or has time really gone by that fast?"

"Nope, I'm not home early; time just went by so quickly that it was August before I knew it." Tsubaki answered back cheerily.

Ms. Johnson nodded her head as she stepped away from her desk. "Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer since I know why you're here. I believe Angela is at recess right now so good luck finding her amongst the crowds of kids running around."

Black Star scoffed once he and Tsubaki started walking down the hall that led to the playground. "How hard can it be to find Angela? I'm sure once she sees either of us she'll come running over."

"Black Star, I still want to keep it a surprise to Angela that we're here! I have an idea of where she likes to play at the most usually based on the trips we've taken to the park in the past." Tsubaki stated.

Black Star shrugged and nodded his head as he opened the doors to outside only to be greeted with a vast sea of kids running around and playing a variety of games all over the area.

"What the? You didn't tell me that their playground was basically the size of Death City! How are we supposed to find her?!" Black Star complained.

Tsubaki laughed amusingly at Black Star's comparison as she carefully made her way around some running kids towards the grass.

"Let's see if I remember correctly, Angela's favorite place to go to first was the monkey bars followed by the swings." Tsubaki mumbled to herself before Black Star got her attention by suddenly grabbing her arm.

Tsubaki gave Black Star a mix of a bewildered and upset look before she recognized he was pointing out Angela who was swinging and talking happily with about 3 other girls nearby her.

'Oh, it looks like Angela really did make some friends; I'm so glad!' Tsubaki thought happily, before she noticed Black Star was heading straight over towards her without any hesitation.

"Black Star, hold on! What exactly were you planning to do by just walking up to her like that?" Tsubaki asked critically.

Black Star rubbed his chin thoughtfully before grinning. "I was going to go ask if her if she recognized who I was just based off my face."

Tsubaki sighed and shook her head. "I think a better idea would be to playfully sneak up behind her."

Black Star shrugged, but nodded his head in agreement. "If that's the plan you want to go with, it's fine by me."

Tsubaki waited until she saw the girls beside Angela get up to go do another activity before she carefully moved in and squatted down behind her and patted her shoulder gently.

"Guess who?" Tsubaki asked softly.

Angela's first action had been to freeze up in alarm, but she relaxed slightly when she recognized the voice. "Tsubaki…is that you?"

"Turn around and see for yourself." Tsubaki replied back, just as Angela twisted in her seat and jumped into her arms excitedly.

"You're home! You're home! I can't believe you're finally home!" Angela cheered out, as she snuggled into her arms joyfully.

Tsubaki smiled and soothingly rubbed Angela's back before Angela finally moved away from her slightly.

"Don't I get a hug too?" Black Star asked, drawing Angela's attention away from Tsubaki.

"You came to visit me also?" Angela questioned in surprise. Black Star nodded his head and was nearly taken aback when Angela moved away from Tsubaki's arms and into his.

"Thanks for coming to see me also." Angela mumbled into his ear.

Black Star chuckled and surprised Angela even further by picking her up and giving her a piggyback ride back inside to the lobby.

Angela laughed and started to pull on Black Star's hair. "Go faster!"

"Ouch, you won't get me to do anything by tugging on my hair!" Black Star grumbled, as he set her back down.

Angela smiled as she glanced between Tsubaki and Black Star. "When did you guys get here? Can I come home with you guys now or can you at least stay longer to play?"

"Whoa Angela, one question at a time; we only arrived a few hours ago so Tsubaki and I are still a bit tired to be honest." Black Star said.

"I can't take you home yet, but I'll try to make some settlement with the directors in the coming weeks." Tsubaki continued on.

Angela pouted, but seemed happy enough to just have seen Tsubaki again and nodded her head as she started to head back to her room before Black Star noticed something off in her walk.

"Angela, did you hurt your leg or something? It seems like you're limping." Black Star questioned.

Angela brushed her brown hair out of her eyes to gaze down at her feet properly. "Um, well a few days ago I did land on my feet funny when I jumped off the monkey bars."

"Did you tell the nurse that it hurts?" Tsubaki asked in concern. 'How could nobody have noticed she's been walking like this?'

Angela shook her head and watched as Black Star carefully inspected her foot before turning back towards Tsubaki.

"I think it's just a mild sprain since she hasn't been having much pain from walking on it. Tell the director that you would like some ice on it though to at least reduce some of the swelling." Black Star considered.

Tsubaki looked impressed at Black Star's knowledge as they guided Angela to the nurse's office before they headed back outside to the sidewalk. "How did you know what type of injury she had?"

"Oh, that? I've seen and gotten those types of injuries all the time from the different sports I've played over the years. The pain really must have not been bothering her though if she said it happened a few days ago." Black Star mused.

Tsubaki smiled gently at Black Star's easygoing explanation. "I think you've finally found something."

Black Star arched an eyebrow at Tsubaki's statement. "What are you talking about?"

Tsubaki shook her head at the fact that Black Star still didn't get it. "Your college major of course silly. You just kind of gave a small description of a sports related injury and how to take care of it; Sports Medicine or things in that category can be something you can look into.

Black Star said nothing back before his eyes brightened in realization. "Well, I'll be damned; I knew good things would come to me from dating you."

Tsubaki flustered slightly, but maintained her usual smile. "I better get heading home now."

Black Star frowned at that as he took a quick glance towards the horizon and realized it was already sometime around the mid to late evening hours.

"Alright, I'll let you go, but there's just one last thing we need to do." Black Star announced seriously.

Tsubaki looked confused for a moment before she nodded her head in understanding when Black Star gave her his usual smirk and leaned in towards her.

"I'll see you again soon." Black Star grumbled against her lips once they pulled away from each other.

Tsubaki nodded her head dazedly as she began to lean away from him. "I know I will."

~X~

"So, you're not going to even try to at least fold up your clothes neatly or hang them up properly?" Maka asked, as she watched Soul toss clothes into his dresser or closet.

Soul looked up from his luggage and scoffed. "More than half of these clothes need to be washed or ironed so I honestly don't care as long as I unpack everything."

Maka rolled her eyes, but nodded her head as glanced at his nearby clock and saw that it was already getting close to 5:30.

'Tsubaki is probably just now leaving the agency, so that means she's probably on her way home now. Meanwhile I'm here with my luggage still all cramped and packed together in the living room…' Maka mused.

"I would get done faster if you weren't just… I don't know sitting there on my bed watching me." Soul stated.

Maka shrugged her shoulders and got off Soul's bed to help him move smaller items to places she knew they belonged at least like his toothbrush or combs.

About half an hour later, Soul had pretty much considered himself 'done' for now and would better sort everything out later.

Soul laid back into his bed and sighed. "I don't know about you, but it's going to take my body a couple of days to adjust back to this time."

Maka smirked as she laid her head down next to his. "Don't get used to it for too long. New York is 3 hours ahead of us."

Soul groaned and covered his eyes with his arms. "Well, 3 hours isn't the same as the around 8 hour difference we just came out of."

Maka nodded her head as she snuggled into Soul's side "I can't believe this morning, well technically yesterday morning we were waking up in a hotel half way across the world and now we're back here at home."

Soul uncovered his arms from his eyes to gaze at Maka properly. "I'm glad at least we we're able to get in a good amount of sleep on the plane; I was expecting more turbulence."

Maka said nothing back as sat up slightly from bed and watched Soul with a peaceful expression. 'Even if they are things for me to do at home, I don't want to face the reality summer being over…

Soul noticed Maka's change in behavior and frowned. "What's wrong; is something troubling you?"

Maka sighed and moved to lie on top of Soul gently. "I'm not ready to go back home yet."

Soul felt tempted tell Maka that wasn't a big deal, but there was always the possibility that Maka would take that the wrong way and hit him.

Eventually, Maka moved off of Soul slightly, but was still fixing him with a mysterious look that Soul couldn't quite figure out.

"Maka, are you sure nothing else is bugging you because I-"Soul felt the rest of the words die in his throat as Maka moved in towards him and gazed at him knowingly.

"Shut up already." Maka breathed out teasingly against his lips.

Soul grinned as he sat up a bit and slowly let his thumb brush against her burning cheek along to her lips as he moved in to close the distance between them. Maka shivered lightly as Soul's lips brushed against hers before she leaned in more towards him to slowly apply more pressure. Soul quickly matched her force by tugging her head gently towards him before sighing and pulling away as the need for air came back.

"You're not usually the one who instigates a kiss." Soul panted out, as he lightly stroked a hand through Maka's hair.

"This may be the last time we really kiss for a while." Maka replied back gently, as she lightly tapped her head against his.

"Though I guess I really should get going back home now." Maka finally mumbled out wistfully, after a few seconds of silence passed.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here and keep straddling me?" Soul questioned, as Maka realized her position on him and moved away with a blush.

Soul watched as Maka hopped off the bed and brushed herself off before following her out to the living room.

"You sure you don't need my help lugging that suitcase downstairs once I call for a taxi?" Soul questioned with a smirk.

Maka pushed up the handle of her bag and shook her head with a laugh. "My clothes and some other random stuff don't weigh that much idiot."

Once Maka had her stuff all outside, she turned around to face Soul with one last smile. "I guess I'll see you in like a week or so at the airport again."

Soul nodded his head as he ruffled Maka's hair before she got into the cab. "Don't do anything too stupid or crazy in these few days of summer we have left."

"You should take your own advice for once." Maka chided back with a smile.

~X~

"Maka, how can you be leaving me again already when you've only been home for like a week and half?!" Spirit sobbed out.

Maka sighed and grudgingly patted her Papa's back tiredly. "This day was going to come eventually Papa."

Spirit nodded his head as he wiped his face before he sent both her and Soul an oddly serious look. "New York is an exciting place to go and I'm sure you two will see and learn a lot. Make sure to watch over each other.

Maka nodded her head and actually gave her Papa an honest smile for once. "Thank you Papa, we appreciate your advice."

Spirit gaped in shock and started to tear up again as Stein and Marie calmed him down.

"Hey man, you and Maka better send us any cool pictures or interesting stuff you find around the city!" Black Star snapped out.

"Why would we not?" Maka questioned with a laugh.

Black Star shrugged before smirking. "I'm just warning you now in case you guys felt like keeping stuff from us, I still have my blackmail of you two-"

Tsubaki secretly nudged Black Star to be quiet before he gave away his secret.

Maka and Soul sent each other confused looks before they turned towards Tsubaki suspiciously. "What blackmail is he talking about?"

Tsubaki only smiled sweetly and shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea what he's talking about!"

Maka frowned at Tsubaki's seemingly innocent smile before sighing. "I'm going to miss you both so much; things won't be the same…"

"I know it will take some time adjusting to being without me, so I took the liberty of getting this for you guys!" Black Star stated, as he handing both her and Soul a signed autograph and picture of him.

"Why the hell would we want this?!" Maka snapped out while Soul just blatantly ripped his up.

Black Star scowled at his friend's actions and attitude. "One day those items were going to be worth millions of dollars and you just destroyed them like they were nothing!"

Maka rolled her eyes and was about to speak up when the intercom suddenly went off. "Attention passengers, we are now boarding customers sitting in sections D and E for United Airlines flight from Death City to New York. Please make your way to the line at this time."

"That's you guys, huh?" Black Star asked somberly.

Soul nodded his head as he gave one last handshake goodbye to him while Maka gave Tsubaki one final hug.

"Call us as soon as you land or are able to!" Tsubaki called out to them as they observed them join the line.

"We will, and keep us up to date on how things are going at home!" Maka yelled back as she watched them finally turn to leave.

'Don't cry, don't cry, there's nothing to be sad about…' Maka thought, as she bit her lip before Soul patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sure nobody wants to see us looking all depressed." Soul mused.

Maka nodded her head as she wiped away a few tears before a gaining a new look of resolve. "You're right; this is just the beginning of a new phase in our lives. I'm ready to see what's in store for us beyond the summer, aren't you?"

"Trust me Maka; I've been ready for a long time." Soul replied back with a grin.

~x~

Well everyone this was the final chapter, but an epilogue will be coming next! Feedback is always welcomed and as usual, thanks for reading!


	26. Epilogue: Summer Memories

Epilogue, Chapter 26: Summer Memories

"Where did I put my flash drive? I'm sure this was the last place I saw it…" Maka grumbled to herself, as she took out all the contents from her backpack once again to look for it.

"What are you looking for Maka? You didn't forget to bring your textbook again, did you?" Harvar asked from beside her.

Maka gritted her teeth at the smug undertone in Harvar's voice. Even though she and Harvar rarely talked to each other outside of their shared biology class, she had to admit that he was one of the few relatively smarter people she had met since beginning her freshman year at Columbia.

'I'm sure Harvar would probably get along well with Ox now that I think about it.' Maka mused before she realized she still hadn't answered his question.

"I only forgot to bring my book that one time when I was running late. I'm actually just looking for my flash drive." Maka said.

Harvar shrugged his shoulders over Maka's predicament as he turned to face their professor once more. "Oh, that sounds like a personal problem to me."

Maka sighed and focused back on the lecture as well and waited until class got out restart her search for her tiny device.

'Ugh, this is bad; I have my final draft for my English essay on there and my group assignments!' Maka thought, in a mix of panic and frustration.

Maka groaned as she gazed down at her grey tennis shoes and tried to think back to the last time she had used the gadget. She might have taken it out a few days ago when she and Crona had both been working on their essays in the library, but in that case she would have noticed it was missing before now.

Maka continued to ponder over more places she had gone to before an idea suddenly clicked in her head. 'Oh wait, maybe I left it at Soul's place yesterday! It's probably underneath all the junk he keeps on his bed. I just hope he didn't end up accidently throwing it away…'

Maka quickly pulled out her phone and called Soul's number and waited a few seconds as it started to ring.

"Hello?" A sleepy baritone voice finally answered.

Maka furrowed her brows at how tired Soul sounded. "Soul, it's almost noon now and you're still sleeping?"

Soul yawned into the receiver before speaking up. "Correction, I was sleeping until your call just now woke me up and what's your point? You know I don't have any classes today so I can sleep all day if I really wanted to."

Maka snorted at that before clutching her scarf closer when a cold wind blew by. "Anyways, is it okay if I come over? I think I left my flash drive somewhere in your apartment."

Soul said nothing back for a moment as he scratched his head. "Yeah I guess so; I didn't clean up the place though just to let you know. Did you at least check your own dorm room first?"

"Of course I checked my dorm room idiot! I actually need to go back to my room to drop off some papers and then I'll be heading your way." Maka explained.

"What time should I be expecting you then?" Soul asked.

Maka glanced down at her watch and saw it was about 11:55 am. "Your apartment is only like a 10 to 15 minute drive away with traffic so I'll be there before 12:30."

Once Maka got all her stuff together, she made the short trip to Soul's place by car and parked in the usual visitors' area.

'It's still difficult for me to adjust to these colder temperatures; I don't think it ever got this cold in Death City in late September or early October.' Maka thought with a shiver, as she trudged up to Soul's door and knocked on it.

Maka stepped back slightly as she heard the door click from be unlocked and was greeted with Soul's disheveled appearance.

Maka blinked as she gazed over Soul's plain red long sleeved shirt and black athletic shorts. "You don't feel even a little bit cold in that?"

Soul glanced over his attire with indifference before he started to glance over her own clothes. "You don't feel too warm wearing a sweater, scarf, and long jeans?"

Maka rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly at Soul's smirk as he moved aside to let in. Maka headed straight for Soul's couch to set down her backpack down before heading over to his room.

'Geez, Soul wasn't kidding when he said he didn't clean up after I left. Why are all these crumpled up pieces of paper scattered everywhere?' Maka pondered, as she brushed aside some clothes from Soul's dresser and bed.

"I'm pretty sure you're not going to find it in here." Soul said from behind her, as he watched Maka open and close his dressers and then search around his desk.

Maka scowled at Soul's amused attitude and turned to glare at him. "It would help if you didn't have all this trash lying around! Why do you have so much balled up paper anyways?"

Soul only shrugged and observed as Maka went back to continuing to search through different piles of trash until she suddenly stopped and picked something up.

"Hey, when was this photo taken?" Maka asked softly. It was a picture of her and Soul underneath a bridge.

Soul arched an eyebrow and moved closer to Maka to get a better look at the frame. "Oh, it was when we split into groups in Tarragona, remember? I think it was Stein who took this picture when he drove us to the Devil Bridge."

Maka nodded her head slowly before smiling fondly as the memory came back. "I didn't think you would go and develop this picture out of all the ones we took! Why didn't you get one for me?"

Soul frowned and looked away from Maka's teasing grin before she noticed his cheeks reddening. "Err; I wasn't really thinking about developing more than one; Tsubaki created an album online anyways."

"Don't worry about it; I still wear the necklace you got me as a memory of the trip." Maka stated, moving her light green scarf aside to show that she had it on.

Soul grinned at Maka's protective grasp on the charm. "I'm glad you still wear it considering I had to haggle to actually get it."

"Well, I wasn't planning to forget all about it once you gave it to me. Now back to my main issue, where did you put my flash drive?" Maka questioned.

Soul rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he leaned back against his bed. "I told you, I don't remember what you're talking about. You probably misplaced it somewhere in your room and are blaming me."

Maka narrowed her eyes at Soul's avoidance of her question. "Yes you do Soul; I know you saw me with it. You're wasting my time."

Soul chuckled at Maka's annoyance before sitting up when noticed Maka had started to un-crumple some of his balled up papers and read them.

'I'm pretty sure Maka still doesn't understand the musical lyrics on those papers unless she's been doing research in her spare time.' Soul considered.

Maka stared at the music notes with a puzzled expression before looking back up at Soul. "Was one of your assignments to create a song?

"Yeah kind of, though I find it to be stupid how heavily he's making creating a song be a part of our final grade. The course was mainly about music history and education." Soul grumbled.

Maka picked up a few more pieces of paper and gazed over all of them. It seemed like they were all similar in composition for the most part, but apparently Soul would stop midway through creating a song and cross a section out.

"It seems like you've been having trouble working on this. Since I know you usually like to wait until the last minute to work on things and turn them in, how can I help you?" Maka inquired.

Soul scoffed as he grabbed the papers from her hands. "Why would I go to you for help when you still basically know next to nothing about music?" Soul's scowl deepened even further when he narrowly dodged the book Maka tossed straight at him.

"At least let me give you ideas on a topic to use! That seems like the main problem you're having." Maka huffed out.

Soul shook his head as he set the papers down on his bed. "I already know what the song's about." He muttered.

Maka's jade green eyes flickered with curiosity. "Oh, what's it about then?"

"I would feel better telling you if it was actually finished." Soul grouched out.

Maka only shrugged as she met his crimson eyes directly. "It's not like there's anybody I'm going to go running off telling it to."

Soul sighed as he realized Maka wasn't planning to change the topic until she found out what she wanted. 'Though I guess that is one of the traits about her that I admire…'

"The song is supposed to be about you, happy now?" Soul complained.

Maka opened her mouth to reply back, but paused as she took in Soul's words. "You're…you're making the song about me?"

Soul nodded his head uncomfortably. "We've been through a lot together over this past summer and now autumn. The only difficult part is putting all of it into song form."

Maka smiled gently and looked down bashfully. "Um, when you're done with it could I at least hear you play it once before you turned it in?"

"No." Soul said jokingly just as Maka punched him sharply in the arm and stood up.

"Damn it, you still don't know when I'm messing with you, do you?!" Soul questioned with a growl.

Maka chose to ignore him as she gave one final sweep of Soul's room before sighing. "Well, I guess my flash drive really isn't here or you're just hiding it from me."

Soul glanced at his wall clock and saw it was approaching about 1:15 pm. "Wait, you're not thinking of leaving already are you? You're afternoon class doesn't even start until 3:00."

"I haven't eaten lunch yet and besides, I need to meet with history group to go over our project before our presentation next week." Maka reasoned.

Soul snorted and reached out to grab Maka's hand before she left the room. "You've complained to me time and again how you dislike working with your classmates on that because their lazy and barely do their work on solo assignments. In terms of food, you can eat the takeout I bought the other day."

Maka blinked at Soul's firm grip on her before giggling. "Soul, you rarely ever share your food with me. You just really want me to stay here, don't you?"

Soul only smirked as he moved to bring Maka closer to himself. "Well, is it working?" He asked lowly against her lips.

"Maybe." Maka whispered back, moving to meet him halfway as he pulled her back towards his bed.

'This wasn't what I intended to happen by going to Soul's place. I completely messed up my schedule for the day… 'Maka thought with a blush, as she reluctantly moved out of Soul's arms to check the time on her phone and nearly yelped when she saw it was 3:30.

"Crap, you made me late for class!" Maka snapped, shaking Soul awake with a hard nudge. Soul eventually opened his eyes to stare at her blankly before the past few hours came back to him and he grinned.

"Congratulations, you finally skipped your first class! I think it was worth it, don't you?" He asked suggestively.

Maka felt her face flush as she gave Soul a dirty look for a second before moving to grab her scattered clothes.

"Oh wait Maka, one more thing before you really go." Soul said with a snicker.

Maka turned to face him and nearly jumped back when Soul fished out her flash drive from his pocket and tossed it to her.

"I figured you would want that before you left!" He mused with a laugh, not even caring about the consequences he would face when Maka left the room and came back in with her biology textbook tightly gripped in her hand.

~X~

"Angela, are you already done with your homework so soon?" Tsubaki questioned when she came back in from her grocery shopping and saw Angela watching TV with Black Star on the couch.

Angela nodded her head brightly as she looked away from the screen. "Black Star checked over all my answers to make sure they were right!"

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow at that as she went to set the groceries down in the kitchen. "Really now? I'll have to double check to make sure he actually looked over them properly."

"Hey, you don't think I understand basic 1st grade math and reading?!" Black Star questioned, strolling over to kitchen to help her put away some items.

Tsubaki laughed cheerily at Black Star's scowl. "Well, sometimes you do act first before thinking things through."

"If I didn't act first, I might not have gotten you to ever notice me." Black Star mused, grinning smugly when he saw Tsubaki's cheeks redden.

Angela tugged on Black Star's jeans to get their attention. "Did Tsubaki bring back any candy from the store?"

Black Star bent down to Angela's eye level and poked her cheek affectionately. "I just gave you a piece of a chocolate for finishing your homework. You're going to be hyper if we give you any more."

Angela pouted at Black Star's answer and turned towards Tsubaki to show off her best innocent look, but Tsubaki shook her head firmly.

Tsubaki sighed as she finished putting away all the food into the cabinets and fridge and moved away from the counter. 'The weekend went by so fast; I can't believe it's already time to take Angela back.'

"Angela, Black Star and I should probably get ready to take you back to the agency now. It would look bad if we didn't get you back there before 5." Tsubaki stated.

Angela looked gloomy for a moment before she nodded her head and went to grab her coloring book and folders from the living room. "You'll pick me up again on Friday afternoon as usual, right?"

"Don't we always?" Black Star answered with a chuckle as Angela smiled in agreement.

Tsubaki stared at the scene between the two happily. 'Black Star has really transitioned well into his role in being Angela's guardian. I'm not sure why I was even worried about it in the first place.'

"And don't forget if anyone tries to take your lunch again, you show them that punching move I taught you, okay?" Black Star said proudly.

Tsubaki frowned at Black Star's gleeful proclamation as she set Angela's backpack onto her shoulders. "What punching move? Please tell me you're not trying to get her to start acting like you!"

Black Star opened the door to Tsubaki's apartment and allowed her and Angela to walk out first before closing and locking the door behind him. "What's wrong with that? I'm teaching her how to defend herself!"

Tsubaki only shook her head with a small smile. Even though adjusting to college life had taken some time for both her and Black Star, Ms. Johnson had at least been able to pull a few strings at the agency to allow them to take care of Angela on the weekends. Angela's staying over seemed to improve her behavior and grades at school with Fridays being a day everyone could look forward to.

After saying goodbye to Angela, Black Star and Tsubaki headed down the street quietly until Tsubaki abruptly stopped.

Black Star arched an eyebrow once he realized Tsubaki was no longer beside him. "What's wrong Tsubaki; did you forget to give something to Angela?"

Tsubaki shook her head as she pointed towards a flower shop. "It's been awhile since we've last visited him, don't you think?"

Black Star appeared puzzled over who this 'him' was before he nodded his head in realization as he peered up towards the sky. "Ah, so it has."

Tsubaki admired the colorful arrangements set up around the flower shop before sulking a little. 'I don't even remember what flowers we bought here last time and it hasn't even been that long. How is it I could forget something so important?'

"Do you need some help picking out some flowers?" An employee asked, starting Tsubaki out of her thoughts.

"Ah, well I'm just trying to remember what we bought the last time we came here." Tsubaki mumbled with a sigh.

"Actually, I think all we need is a few pink carnations and zinnia mixed flowers, preferably in red and yellow." Black Star said from behind her.

The employee nodded his head to go retrieve the flowers as Tsubaki gave Black Star a surprised look.

"You remember what we bought the last time we came here?" Tsubaki asked softly.

Black Star only shrugged before nodding his head with a slight smile. "Yeah, it was a few days after we came home from summer vacation. It's hard for me to forget how pissed the shopkeepers got when I accidently pushed a flower pot over and she told me all about the language of flowers and its importance."

'That's right. Pink carnations represent I'll Never Forget You and a mixed Zinnia is in memory of a friend. Am I dishonoring Mifune by already forgetting small things like this?' Tsubaki pondered.

"Tsubaki, snap out of it! We should get going now." Black Star stated, as he lightly shook her shoulders and guided her out of the store.

Tsubaki managed to nod her head woozily as the two walked over towards the cemetery. It was already relatively late into the afternoon and not many people were around except for an elderly couple a few sections down.

"I'm sorry we haven't visited you in a while Mifune, I've lost track of time with all the new changes that happened in my life over this past summer." Tsubaki whispered at his grave.

Black Star took the carnations and zinnia out from there pots and quietly arranged them neatly around his tomb. "Heh, it looks a lot better now, doesn't it?"

Tsubaki beamed at Black Star's work as he bent down next to her. "You remember Black Star, don't you? I know he's not the type of guy you would think I would go out with since I've only known him since this summer, but there really is more to him than meets the eye."

Black Star chuckled as he patted the soft ground beneath them. "Tsubaki's told me a lot about you and your sword skills; I'm sure you would have been a worthy opponent to face. Oh and I truly get what you mean by how much of handful Angela can be, but I don't actually find it that hard to take care of her at least with Tsubaki's help."

Tsubaki smiled gently as a cool wind passed by. "Is there anything else we forgot to mention?"

Black Star stood back up to properly stretch out his arms and legs. "I don't think so. Tsubaki and I are both working hard in our majors. It won't be easy, but that's what makes the challenge worth it."

Tsubaki nodded her head as she moved to stand also. 'I still miss you Mifune though I'm glad that you're at peace here...'

"Are you ready to go Tsubaki or do you want to stick around a bit longer?" Black Star asked lightly.

Tsubaki turned to give one final look over Mifune's grave and smiled at how much nicer it looked in appearance after they had polished his stone marker and placed new flowers around it.

"No, that's okay. I'm sure Mifune wouldn't want us dwelling here all depressed." Tsubaki mused.

"True, I don't like feel all mopey like this either." Black Star considered with a frown.

Tsubaki moved to grab Black Star's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure getting started on studying for your algebra exam on Thursday will provide for a good distraction then!"

Black Star's frown deepened, but he squeezed her hand in return. "That's not what I meant, but okay."

~X~

Maka grinned as she closed back her history book and let out a sigh of relief. After missing her group meeting the other day due to Soul, she had had to work out arranging a new time to meet up with all of them and make sure everyone's parts were done along with keeping up with her own personal notes.

'And to think pretty soon after midterms this week, it will already be time to start studying for finals. College seems to go by way faster than high school ever did.' Maka considered, as she crossed out another day on her calendar and looked over the rest of events she had planned out for the month of October.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I haven't really talked to Tsubaki or Black Star in a long time. I wonder how they're doing." Maka mumbled to herself.

"Anyways, it's already early night back at home so they're probably just relaxing right now. I'll have to see if I can reach them on the weekend possibly." Maka considered.

Maka walked over to her bed and tossed off the covers to relax and probably read a book until she got sleepy when suddenly a faint tapping at her window made her straighten up in alarm.

'What the? Who the hell would be bugging me at this time of day?!' Maka thought angrily, as she focused her eyes towards her window and realized it was Soul.

Maka scowled and opened her window about half-way. "What's going on; why are you at my dorm room in the middle of the night?"

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka's tone and put his hands up in defense. "Whoa there, it's only like 9 o clock so cool it. I came by because you left out of my room so fast the other day that you forgot this English folder and I'm pretty sure you have that class tomorrow, right?"

Maka blinked in puzzlement before grudgingly taking her folder back with a sigh. "Thanks, I'm surprised you didn't just decide to keep it like you did my flash drive."

Soul only grinned toothily. "I'm not that cruel."

Maka rolled her eyes at that statement and turned away to set her folder on her desk before gaining an shocked expression when she saw Soul was no longer standing outside her window and was now gazing around her room in amusement.

"You've added quite a bit of stuff since the last I've been here. Was that Columbia University pennant always hanging up?" Soul questioned.

"Soul, don't just barge into my room; you know this is an all-girls dormitory!" Maka hissed out, annoyed when Soul chose to ignore her and instead glanced over some photos on her desk of family and friends.

Soul shrugged as he sat down on Maka's bed comfortably with a smirk. "That's hasn't stopped me in the past from coming here. It's a good thing you live on the first floor though."

"Stupid, what if my resident manager does a room check all of a sudden?!" Maka snapped back.

"I know for a fact that she only does those like once a month and she already did it for October." Soul replied back easily.

'How exactly does Soul know that?' Maka thought in confusion before shaking the thought away.

"I see you still favor those same old striped pajamas you wore over the summer." Soul mused with a snicker.

Maka blushed over Soul's scrutinizing stare of her as she covered her arms over herself. "Yeah, so what? You still wear that same old black leather jacket!"

"This isn't just some 'old jacket' it's vintage." Soul stated in a scolding manner.

"If you say so." Maka replied back, making sure to give him a look of disinterest.

A comfortable silence filled the air as Maka eventually moved to close the window slightly when a couple of leaves blew in.

"Have you finished that song yet?" Maka asked softly, admiring the crescent moon partially obscured by some passing clouds before gazing back at him.

Soul shook his head as he moved his hands into his pockets. "It's about a quarter of the way done. You don't need to rush me on it."

"Ah, I'm not trying to rush you! Take your time on it." Maka stated, as she moved to sit next to him on her bed.

Maka frowned when she noticed Soul still seemed troubled by something. "Nothing else has come up since I've last seen you, has it?"

Soul said nothing back as he rubbed his forehead in attempt to release some tension. "Actually, Wes did call me yesterday concerning when I would be off for winter break."

'Hmm, Soul at least has a better relationship with his brother than his parents though I'm sure this might not be pleasant news since he hasn't had much contact with him since college started.' Maka reasoned.

"So, what was he asking about? Does he want to meet up with you?" Maka questioned.

"I guess, he said he had heard from our parents that they were planning another one of their usual end of the year holiday parties and he wanted to warn me about the details of it ahead of time." Soul explained.

Maka grimaced at the memory of the uncomfortable dinner she had spent with Soul's parents before smiling. "Well, that was nice of him to let you know what they had planned. Have you even talked to your parents since moving out?"

Soul immediately shook his head with a scowl. "The day before I left, they called to still question me on why I picked another school over Julliard, but other than that, there hasn't really to talk to them about or that they need to know about."

Maka nodded her head in understanding as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "That reminds me, we need to try and get on Skype with Tsubaki and Black Star maybe this weekend."

"Yeah, we haven't seen either of them since leaving at the airport and Black Star did text me the other day to ask if anything interesting has happened in my life lately."

"So what did you tell him?" Maka asked curiously with a laugh.

Soul shrugged as he stood up from her bed. "I told him nothing important has happened even though he didn't believe me."

Maka glanced towards her desk at a group photo they had all taken at the beach back in Spain. "One weekend when we're not so busy we should really take Wes up on that offer to visit him. We could just take a bus straight into the heart of New York or Manhattan and check out the sites while we head in the direction of his place."

"Have you forgotten how busy downtown is 24-7? New York isn't exactly cheap either and we can't just go adventuring off anywhere like we did back in Spain." Soul scoffed out.

Maka pouted as she hit him over the head lightly with one of her pillows. "Why do you always have to be so negative to the suggestions I make?"

Soul only grinned crookedly as he gave her a light peck on the forehead before he headed over to the window to leave again. "Because behind all that criticizing I know you enjoy my sarcastic attitude."

Maka shook her head as she watched Soul head over to his motorcycle he had parked nearby. "Be careful on the way back!"

Soul gave her a slight wave of a hand in agreement. "I'll text you when I get back to my place."

~X~

"Black Star, come on! I promised Maka that we would be able to Skype at 7!" Tsubaki called out to him from her bedroom.

A few minutes later, Black Star walked into her room and frowned. "It's only 4 o clock though."

Tsubaki shook her head as she pointed at her laptop's clock. "Don't forget that Maka and Soul are in Eastern Time Zone, so they're 3 hours ahead of us."

"Oh, yeah it keeps slipping in my mind that there actually pretty far away." Black Star said, as he pulled up a chair to get into view of the camera.

"Alright, I just texted Maka that I logged in so we should see them come up any second now." Tsubaki stated, as she placed her phone back down.

"Hey Tsubaki and Black Star, it's been a long time." Soul mused.

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow as she looked around Soul for Maka. "Where's Maka at?"

"I'm right here! I'm just trying to let in some light from the window so we don't look so dark on the camera!" Maka called out off screen before she came and sat down next to Soul on the carpet.

Black Star peered towards the background and noticed a shelf stacked to the top with books and some décor that was light blue and white. "Well, I'm going to go off a hunch that you guys are in Maka's room, right?"

Maka arched an eyebrow before nodding her head. "Did my school colors give it away?"

Black Star smirked before shaking his head. "No, Soul would never have that many books lying around his room."

"You make a good point there." Maka replied back with a chuckle, taking no notice to the scorn look Soul was sending her.

"Why is your hair down Maka; were you and Soul up to something before you logged in?" Tsubaki asked teasingly.

Maka flushed lightly before quickly shaking her head. "No, I just washed my hair and I haven't put it back up into pigtails yet!"

"That sounds like a made up excuse to me! By the way, does Soul just always come and go as he pleases into your room?" Black Star asked wickedly.

Soul grinned as he nodded his head. "Pretty much, Maka lives on the first floor and she doesn't have a roommate so nobody really knows I'm here."

Tsubaki's teasing grin widened even further at that news. "I guess Soul has a lot of sleepovers at your place then, huh Maka?"

"It goes both ways actually." Maka huffed out.

"Anyways, how are things with Angela? She hasn't gotten into any more trouble at school, has she?" Maka asked, wanted the topic off her and Soul.

Tsubaki shook her head happily. "She's been doing great! I don't know if I told you, but the director allowed us to at least have her at my apartment on the weekends. It really seems to have helped improve her behavior."

"Hey, so when are two coming back to Death City? We haven't done anything big since the summer and this time we could possibly take Angela with us somewhere!" Black Star questioned.

It was silent for a few seconds as Maka distractedly picked at her pink polo top while Soul just sighed.

"Black Star, we're all broke from spending money on our fall tuition." Soul stated.

"And we probably won't be coming home for another month at least until winter break." Maka added in.

"Wait, you guys won't be coming back for Thanksgiving?" Tsubaki asked, to which Soul and Maka nodded their heads quietly.

"Plane tickets get more expensive the closer it gets to the holidays so we figured it would be for the best to wait until our finals were done so we wouldn't have to make another return trip back." Maka explained sadly.

Black Star humped as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, if we won't be seeing you for another month, you better make it up to us or else I'm sending those photos I took of you two sleeping on each other over the summer out!"

Tsubaki shook her head at Black Star having revealed that while both Soul and Maka looked bewildered for a moment before laughing.

"Go ahead! We don't exactly know what photos you're talking about, but most of our friends know we're dating each other anyways!" Maka chuckled.

Black Star scowled at how calmly the two were handling the situation. "You guys aren't supposed to find it funny!"

"Well, Black Star and I still have some chores we need to take care of so we'll let you go, but you two need to get out more and really see the city! Summer went by so fast and college will be the same way!" Tsubaki said cheerily.

Maka only smiled as both she waved goodbye to them both before they both logged off. "See, even Tsubaki agrees that we should at least head out into downtown once!"

Soul shrugged as he narrowed his eyes in thought. "Aren't you curious to know what photos Black Star was talking about?"

Maka frowned at Soul's change of topic before nodding her head with a smirk. "Yeah, of course I am! He thinks we may not care, but we're hacking into his phone when we get the best opportunity to!"

Soul nodded his head in agreement as he pulled out his phone and opened up his internet browser.

"What are you looking up now so suddenly?" Maka asked curiously, as she leaned over towards him.

"Places for us to visit in the New York Manhattan area of course, but that doesn't mean we're going to do anything super fancy or expensive for the weekend." Soul clarified, when he noticed Maka's eyes start to brighten excitedly.

"You know I'll be fine with any new stuff we can do. Summer may be over, but that doesn't mean we should stop traveling!" Maka said gently with a laugh, as Soul grinned in return.

~fin~

A/N: And so, The Summer Affair truly comes to an end! On a side note, school has been causing me a bit of stress lately so I'll probably be on a writing break for a few weeks before I start anything new. In the meantime, feel free to leave me any suggestions if you want!

Hopefully though, I'll see you at my next story and thanks again for reading as always!

-Midnight Rain19


	27. Bonus Chapter: A Winter Escapade

Bonus/Extra: A Winter Escapade

"You're hogging all the blankets again." Soul grumbled sleepily, cracking one eye open to glare at Maka. Not that it would help him any when he knew she was already deeply asleep after finishing a long day of finals prior to crashing at his apartment.

Maka abruptly shifted into his side, giving him the brief warmth he wanted until she turned over again a few minutes later, the sheets of his bed rolling along with her.

It was odd seeing Maka toss and turn so much in her sleep, especially when she was a relatively calm person when awake. 'It must be from dealing with all the stress from finals and grades even though she found out she did good and made all A's.' Soul concluded.

Soul glanced over towards his alarm clock and sighed as it flashed about 8:30 am, a late time of rising for Maka, but early for him.

"Well, if I'm going to be awake, I guess she can be too. We have a long day ahead of us anyways." Soul muttered, reaching out to poke Maka's cheek.

Maka stirred at the touch, emerald eyes opening lazily for a moment before drifting closed again and turning away.

Soul chuckled for a moment at her sleepy behavior, gently turning her back to face him. "I have other ways of waking you up."

Soul casually leaned down until he was close to Maka's face, blowing a haze of his morning breathe against her nose and lips as her eyes opened once more.

"Stop doing that, you're breath stinks!" Maka hissed out, shifting the covers off to finally look at him.

Soul only smirked, pecking her lips lightly before pulling back. "Yeah, good morning to you too; you we're going to need to get up soon anyways."

Maka yawned tiredly, the last remnants of sleep fading as reminders of the day ahead came to her. "Oh, our flight leaves out at 1 pm, right? I don't think we need to pack anything else, do we?"

Soul nodded his head, pointing over to their luggage in the corner of the room. "There's not much we need to pack since we'll be coming back in the New Year."

Maka watched as Soul trudged over to his closet and tossed on his black jacket, the cold air circulating around the apartment making her shiver now that she had thrown off the blankets.

"Soul, why do you hardly ever turn the heat on in here? It's not broken, is it?" Maka questioned, getting out of bed to change.

"I'm trying to save money by not using it too much, besides I can just snuggle next to you for body heat if need be." Soul replied back cheekily.

Maka rolled her eyes, trying to keep from smiling at his joke. "Idiot."

Maka went off to the bathroom to change; putting on the Colombia University hoodie over her sweater that she had bought from the campus bookstore weeks ago along with some blue jeans and her green scarf. They wouldn't really keep her completely warm once she stepped outside, but at least returning back to Death City would mean less cold weather to deal with than here in New York.

Soul had finished making some toast and eggs as Maka entered into the kitchen, smirking at her choice of attire. He rarely ever wore anything related to his college unless it was to attend one of the functions the music school occasionally had off campus; his regular long sleeves and blue and black jackets were all he mainly wore unless it went below freezing.

"Hey, who's going to pick us from the airport? Black Star called me yesterday to tell me he still has one last final today and wouldn't be able to come." Soul asked.

Maka shifted uncomfortably in her chair, swirling her tea slowly. "Well, Tsubaki's going to be picking Angela up around the time we land and everyone else we know is finishing up exams or packing up too so…I asked Papa."

"Why did you pick the person who hates me? We could've always taken a taxi." Soul pointed out.

Maka laughed as Soul continued to scowl. "Papa doesn't hate you…he just …doesn't like you very much. He kept pestering me about us all meeting for dinner at some point over the holidays, so I figured we should get it over it with at the beginning of our break."

Soul arched an eyebrow at Maka's explanation, setting his glass of juice down. "Wait, all of us? He wants me included in that?"

'Maybe I should have mentioned this all to him earlier.' Maka realized, nodding her head to confirm Soul's question. "He figures since your parents got to know me that he should get to know you better as well. He hardly knows anything about you as he puts it."

Soul leaned back in his chair as memories of his brief interactions with Spirit came back to him. He wasn't sure if her father disliked him due to his snarky comments towards him or if it was simply because he was dating Maka and he would act that way to any guy.

"There isn't even much for him to know about me. He just wants to interrogate me to feel important." Soul mused.

Maka nodded her head, going back to eating her toast and fruit. 'It's a small annoyance, but I don't even care too much about it as I thought I would. Soul and I haven't been able to spend as much time together these past few weeks with all the studying and projects that were going on so this winter break will be finally be a chance to make up for all that.'

~X~

"And then he pulled her in for a searing kiss, leaving her speechless as he slowly pulled away. Geez Maka, is this really the type of cheesy romance books you like to read about all the time?" Soul asked over her shoulder, reading her book along with her as they sat waiting at their terminal.

Maka calmly closed her book shut, jabbing the pointy edges of the cover onto his head. "Stop reading aloud what's in my book!"

Soul rubbed his head with a frown, but grinned when he caught a glimpse of Maka's reddened cheeks when she looked away. "I'm only trying to get into the novel like you; maybe you want me to kiss you like that. You're always telling me to read more after all."

"No, you're just bored because you've gotten tired of listening to the songs on your phone so you wanted to bother me." Maka retorted, bookmarking her page for later on the airplane when Soul would be asleep. Unfortunately, their flight was delayed due to the heavy snow still falling, but hopefully they would be in the air within the next hour or so.

"Pull up that one word puzzle app on your phone. That's something we can do kill time." Soul suggested.

'Since when does Soul ever want to do things I find interesting? I guess he really is more bored than I thought he was.' Maka pondered, pulling her phone out from her pocket.

"Which one do you want to do? I have more than one puzzle app on my phone." Maka inquired while Soul only shrugged in response.

"I don't honestly care, just pick from one of the hundreds of options that I know you have." Soul eventually answered when Maka sent him a dirty look.

Maka huffed at his disinterested answer, deciding to pull up one of her harder games to challenge him. She knew he had never done a Sudoku puzzle before so it would probably leave him stumped.

"Oh, is this that one number puzzle thing I sometimes see you doing?" Soul questioned, as Maka handed him her phone.

Maka nodded her head, hiding her smile beneath the palm of her hand. 'That's one of the harder puzzles I've been stuck on for a while, it should be fun to see Soul try and figure it out.'

"It seems like you've already solved some of it, usually you breeze through these." Soul commented, tapping in a few different numbers to see if they would work.

"That particular one has a 5 star difficulty; it's that one box in the corner that's been messing me up." Maka explained.

Soul continued trying random combinations of numbers silently, all the while Maka watching in amusement at his concentration.

"I could give you a hint if you want." Maka mused teasingly at Soul's growing agitation, but began to frown when he suddenly began to smirk.

"No need, I solved it for you." Soul stated, casually handed her phone back over to her. Maka glanced down to confirm it and sighed as she saw the flash of congratulations streaming across the screen.

"You only got lucky by guessing, you don't even know how to actually play." Maka grumbled, returning her phone back to her pocket.

"You're supposed to use the numbers 1-9 in each box, across, and diagonally without using the same numbers twice; it's something like that, right?" Soul answered easily.

When Maka had no response for him he flicked her nose with a snicker. "Yeah, I've watched you play enough times to get an idea of what to do."

"Oh? Guess I'm rubbing off on you then more than I thought!" Maka reasoned cheerfully, laughing when the tips of Soul's ears became red.

An announcement buzzed through the air before could he could reply back as they both turned towards one of the flight attendants beginning to speak.

"Attention passengers at gate B4 for nonstop flight from New York to Death City, we are ready to begin boarding passengers seating in first class and business class. We apologize once again for the delay; thank you."

"Well, that's us; let's get going." Soul said, about to get up when Maka reached out to grab his hand.

"You know damn well that we're in economy class sitting towards the back, and a little more leg room and whatnot is not worth the price of those tickets." Maka stated.

Soul watched as a few of the passengers began to line up, most of them appearing to be high end business executives or associates. 'They remind me of my parents; that's the only way they would want to travel, hopefully they won't really bother me this holiday season. Wes did say they went on another "business trip" supposedly so hopefully that means less pressuring of me to visit them.'

Maka smiled, squeezing Soul's hand to get his attention. "Hey, what we're you planning to accomplish by walking up there anyways?"

"Try and trick them into giving us better seats?" Soul guessed amusedly.

Maka shook her head, leaning back into her chair with a grin. "You're trying to get us in trouble before we even take off."

~X~

'Alright, it's a little after 4 pm. Maka's flight should be landing soon; this time I can't expect Maka to come running up to me excitedly, especially not if Soul is going to be right next to her…' Spirit contemplated, rubbing his hands together to calm his nerves as he waited at baggage claim for them.

When he had called Maka a few days ago to ask if she would be okay with them having a holiday dinner together, he was shocked that she had even agreed to it, let alone would also be fine with him wanting to get to know Soul better as well. 'Guess that means they're more serious than I thought.'

"Look, there he is waiting for us." Maka whispered, waving lazily as she noticed her father's red hair from the distance.

"I'm surprised he's on time." Soul muttered back, heading to the conveyor belt to get their luggage while Maka walked ahead to greet him.

Maka smiled gently as she approached her father, rolling her eyes when she saw just how jittery he was. "What's wrong with you? Usually you're the one who runs up and hugs me; not the other way around."

Spirit nodded his head, calming down a bit. "Err; well I wanted to start things off better by not annoying or embarrassing you."

"Good choice." Maka stated, Soul approaching the two a few minutes later and handing Maka her bags.

"I see you're doing well Spirit." Soul noted, not missing the brief annoyed look he sent him at his tone.

"Yeah well, let's get out of here. Traffic's going to be hell with how many people are traveling at this time of year." Spirit grumbled, heading towards his car with them trailing behind.

'He could at least pretend he's happy to see me or did he forget I live in Death City too?' Soul thought irritably, glancing towards Maka who only shrugged.

"Maybe he'll change his attitude during dinner." Maka suggested, resisting the urge to laugh when Soul snorted at that.

"You two stop walking so slowly or I'll leave you behind!" Spirit called out to them, breaking them from their conversation.

It took around an hour to get back to Spirit's house. Luckily, Stein had showed him all of the shortcuts he could take in the city to bypass as many stoplights as possible.

"Wow, they really decorated the city for the holidays this year!" Maka said in awe, taking in the variety of lights that adorned the trees as they passed through the center of the city.

"Yup, it's even snowed a little bit already, but I don't think that's going to last." Spirit added, happy that Maka was glad to be home.

"Isn't high school still going on though? We didn't get out for winter break until it was around the week before Christmas I think." Soul questioned, speaking up for the first time since the drive had started.

Spirit frowned for a moment, tempted to not answer his question when he knew Soul already had his answer. "Yeah, but I can take off time from work to pick up my daughter and her boyfriend. Is that okay with you?"

"As long as you don't have any ulterior motives for doing it…" Maka butted in coldly, causing Spirit to flinch. It was time to back down before he triggered her temper.

"Alright, you guys make yourselves at home. I'm making lasagna and salad; is that okay?" Spirit questioned as they arrived, heading over to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Maka nodded her head, leaning into Soul's shoulder tiredly as they both plopped down the couch. The turbulence during the flight had prevented them from getting any sleep in except for during the first hour.

"Hey, are we going to stay the night here or no?" Soul inquired, opening one crimson eye drowsily.

Maka sat up a bit to peer outside, the change in time zones and the time of the year meant it only got darker faster. It was only a little past 5 o clock, but already she could no longer see little to any sunlight.

"We're both tired and don't feel like going anywhere. I don't think it will kill us to stay one night here and we can catch up with Black Star and the others tomorrow." Maka explained.

Spirit regarded them curiously once they all sat down to eat, both of them choosing to eat quietly. "So, I know you guys had a long flight, but I want to get to know you better Soul. You've only been dating my darling Maka for a couple of months now and already you two have become serious."

Maka huffed at the pet name while Soul grinned toothily. "Well, ask away. I'm majoring in music at the Manhattan School of Music; I like to sleep, play video games, and spend time with Maka in my free time. And you already know basically anything else you need to know about me from snooping around and asking my parents."

Spirit paused in responding, grunting at his quick smartass answer. 'Well, I can be a smartass too if he's going to behave that way.'

"You and Maka have only been dating for around half a year now with it being December. I'm only concerned that you two moved a bit fast in developing your relationship, emotionally and sexually. I mean I wonder sometimes why Maka even likes you considering what I've heard you say around her."

Maka nearly choked on her water, flustering as she realized where this conversation was heading. "Papa, that's none of your business! I don't ask you nor do I want to know what you do with all those random women I'm sure you often bring here!"

Spirit chose to twiddle with his fork and knife quietly, unsure how to respond to that without pissing her off even more.

Soul frowned awkwardly at how strange this dinner was quickly becoming, not wanting to put himself in the way of Maka's growing fury or learn anymore about what Spirit liked to do outside of work. 'I'm just going to remain quiet and wait for this to blow over…'

"I'm an adult now as I've told you before. I appreciate your worry, but it's not necessary; I'll have to learn from any mistakes I make, though Soul isn't one of them." Maka went on, settling down.

Spirit shakily nodded his head, clearing his throat to ease the tense atmosphere. "I-I see. Anyways, Kid came by yesterday to see if you two would be up for some mini vacation as a group. He'll inform you more on the details I'm sure tomorrow or whenever you all meet again."

Maka blinked in confusion, stomach twisting uncomfortably in a mix of curiosity and fear. 'That's odd, why would he plan a trip out of the blue? Won't it be weird and strange for Exes and new boyfriends to travel together? I don't think Soul and Kid have even talked to each for a full 5 minutes yet outside of for the sake of being polite.'

Maka gave a side glance towards to Soul to get an idea of his reaction and pouted when he was only eating his food casually as if he hadn't even heard Spirit's words.

Unfortunately, the thought didn't leave her alone as the evening hours went on. Spirit provided her with a temporary distraction from it at least when he came downstairs to get their attention from watching some late night show.

"Whenever you two plan to turn in for the night, Soul can take the couch and you can sleep in your old room Maka. Don't worry, I left it just the way you've always had it!" Spirit exclaimed.

Maka smiled tiredly in agreement, turning towards Soul once she was sure he was out of earshot. "You can come sleep with me in my room if you want. We both know this couch is old and tearing apart; he just wants to make you suffer some back pain most likely."

"If you don't want to sleep alone, you can just say so Maka." Soul replied back, rubbing her cheek playfully when she began to blush.

Maka's old bed was smaller than she had last remembered it to be; maybe that's why her father hadn't made any extra effort to keep Soul from coming in. Nonetheless, Soul had managed to find a position he was fine with, even though it seemed like he could fall off the bed just by turning slightly.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind traveling with Kid and the others; would you? We didn't have much planned to do while on break and it would provide us a chance to go dating at some nice spots." Maka asked softly.

"Maka, everything we've done together already seems like it turns into a date but…I suppose not, it depends on when he gives us more details." Soul grumbled, burying his head into her shoulder gently.

Maka relaxed a little at his answer, the tension in her stomach lessening somewhat. 'Am I overreacting? If Soul's not worried about it, then I really shouldn't trouble myself about it either I suppose.'

~X~

"And so to end the story off, that was when I used my fists to punch out the shark that was getting too close to Tsubaki!" Black Star exclaimed proudly, cracking his fists for emphasis.

Angela smiled gleefully, clapping her hands happily as Black Star finished retelling another summer story while Tsubaki sighed.

"Black Star… none of those things happened while we were on vacation in Spain; at least tell them about truthful events." Tsubaki mumbled. 'And now he's even got Angela believing in his ridiculous stories…'

"Oh, don't worry about it Tsubaki, we know everything he's saying isn't true! I'm just enjoying how elaborate and far he'll take these stories while we wait for Soul and Maka to get here." Liz said, leaning back into the couch comfortably.

Kid glanced at his watch next to her, frowning when he saw it was already close to noon. "What time were they supposed to be coming here; didn't their flight come in yesterday?"

"Yeah, but Soul texted me that they were too tired so they spent the night at Maka's old man's place. He said they were on their way so they should be here within the next 30 minutes." Black Star explained.

Angela tugged on Black Star's shirt eagerly at the mention of the pair. "Ooh, we should surprise them when they get here! We haven't seen them in so long after all."

'I think they'll be surprised enough by the fact we're all sitting here in the Maka and I's apartment. I'm not sure why we couldn't have picked somewhere that had more space for all of us.' Tsubaki pondered, a sudden clicking by the front door indicating they had arrived.

"Sorry, we're late Tsubaki! There was a traffic accident so we had to take an alternative-"Maka slowly cut herself off when she realized Tsubaki wasn't alone. 'Oh, I didn't think I was going to see everyone again so soon.'

"Maka, stop blocking the door and go in already." Soul grumbled, pushing on her shoulders before he noticed they had company.

Tsubaki sent her a quick apologetic look at her confused expression, standing up to help her carry her luggage in. "Sorry, I know this seems out of nowhere, but Kid and Liz insisted we all meet here."

Maka shook her head, smiling as she waved it off. "It's fine; I wish you would have given me a head's up though. I was only expecting maybe Black Star and Angela to be here as well."

"Welcome home! Angela stated cheerily, running up to greet the two with a hug.

Maka grinned, bending down to return the hug while Soul ruffled her hair affectionately. "It's good to be home, we missed all of you guys."

Liz walked up to her side, lightly tossing her hair up to grab her attention. "Hey, you've been trying out some of the hairstyles I suggested! Your hair looks nice in a ponytail."

"Yup, I figured with college beginning it was time to make some new changes, I've been using those new lotions and perfumes you recommended too!" Maka explained; turning to give her a hug as they all sat down in a corner of the living room to talk.

'They're really starting to get along well now.' Kid noticed, smiling slightly at how Maka and Liz were catching up with each other. He couldn't really say the same for himself regarding Soul though, watching him idly chat with Black Star in the kitchen.

"So, do you have any idea on what you'll get Maka for Christmas? I've been saving up to get Tsubaki this jewelry box and Angela this art collection set since she likes drawing so much." Black Star described.

Soul chuckled, taking a sip from his soda. "Oh, that's right; you shop for two people now. As for me, I think I'm going to go with getting Maka a kindle."

Black Star look puzzled as to why he would get her that before snickering as he caught on. "Oh, you think she'll stop hitting you less if you put her favorite books on there, huh?"

"Hopefully, but she prefers paperbacks to electronics. She's been hitting me less these days though, but I think it will be more convenient for her to have all her preferred books to read in one place." Soul mused.

Black Star noticed Kid approach them out of the corner of his eye and smirked. "What about you Kid? Are you going to give Liz something extravagant?"

Kid coughed a little in embarrassment at Black Star's loud declaration, gaining everyone's attention in the room towards him.

"Well, I was going to bring it up after we all got a little more comfortable, but I was wondering if everyone wasn't too busy during break that we could travel as a group on a cruise Father booked for us. He was insistent that I use this time away from work and school to relax and wanted me to invite some friends along."

Maka frowned, taking in all the information slowly. "Where would the cruise be going to and for how long?"

"Well, first we would have to take about an hour long flight to California and dock out of San Diego. It's a 7 day cruise that would take us along the Pacific Coast to British Columbia and some of the South Pacific Islands before we returned back." Kid answered.

'So this must have been the announcement Papa was mentioning from before that Kid had in mind to say. I don't really mind the idea of us heading somewhere new, but all of us?' Maka thought.

Maka discreetly glanced towards Soul once more, realizing he was already gazing at her waiting for her own response.

"It sounds like fun; it will be nice to escape this winter weather even for a bit." Maka eventually replied after thinking it over for a minute.

Kid nodded in agreement, everyone going back to conversing as Maka maneuvered over to Soul quietly.

"Are you sure you're not bugged about us all traveling together? I don't want you to feel like you're being obligated to go." Maka whispered.

Soul shook his head, sending her a small smile that didn't convince her enough. "Its fine Maka, I don't mind going since you'll be coming along too."

Maka frowned at Soul's distant tone, perhaps she shouldn't have been so quick to say yes. 'I know, I'll use this vacation to help Soul and Kid get to know each better just like Liz and I! Then things hopefully won't be as awkward when we do any other future get-togethers as a group.'

~X~

"What all are you packing with you?" Tsubaki questioned, watching Maka fold some clothes into her luggage bag. Kid had unexpectedly thrown them off by saying they were scheduled to leave out in the coming weekend.

"Um, just some jackets, a couple of long sleeved and short sleeve shirts with jeans, and sleeping clothes along with the usual essentials. What about you?" Maka asked, glancing over towards her.

"Pretty much the same, I can't pack too much considering I'm putting some of Angela's clothes in my luggage bag as well." Tsubaki explained.

Maka giggled, grabbing some socks from her bag to toss into her baggage. "Ah, that's right, with Angela coming along too for the holidays it's like your first real family vacation together with Black Star!"

Tsubaki blushed slightly at her teasing, grinning as she thought of her own comeback. "Well, I'm sure you and Soul will be using this vacation to rekindle the flames of the summertime, right?"

Maka felt her cheeks flush, absentmindedly fiddling with the zippers of her bag. "Yeah…I just hope there's no tension between us all."

Tsubaki's amused expression turned into one of confusion. "Why would there be any tension, because of Kid and Liz?"

Maka nodded her head slowly, feeling guilty for having the thoughts. "Do you think it is weird considered how things were between us all earlier this year? I'm concerned I'm not properly taking Soul's feelings into consideration."

Tsubaki smiled gently, reaching out to pat Maka's shoulders comfortingly. "If he does have any problems with it, then I'm sure he would have brought it up to you privately already or he doesn't want you to worry about him."

"I'm hoping Soul and Kid get to know each other better like I did with Liz; maybe they have some shared interest?" Maka asked aloud hopefully after thinking it over.

Tsubaki was about to voice her disagreement to not try anything silly, but saw how excited Maka was about her idea, beginning to happily hum a song as she went back to packing.

'She knows they probably have little to nothing in common with each other, but I'm sure she's determined to see this plan through either way as usual.' Tsubaki pondered, heading back to her own room to finish organizing her stuff.

Meanwhile, Black Star walked out of his room tiredly, after leaving Maka and Tsubaki's apartment he had opted to take a quick nap before his hunger got the best of him.

'What's Soul up to? He's been quiet since we all split up.' He pondered, knocking on Soul's closed door.

Soul greeted him a few seconds later, casually munching on some chips. "I thought you were sleeping."

Black Star scowled, picking up on the scent of more food in his room as he barged in. "Hey, where did you get lasagna and chicken from! Neither of us did any shopping."

Soul shrugged as he walked back over to his desk to sit down. "I convinced Maka's dad to give me some of his leftovers."

"Oh, and you conveniently forgot to get some for me too." Black Star grumbled, noticing Soul had returned back to his laptop.

Black Star furrowed his brows at Soul's focused expression, having not heard what he had said or was choosing to disregard him.

"What are you looking at anyways that's so important?" Black Star asked, walking up behind him to steal a leg of chicken from his nearby plate.

Soul ignored his antics, continued to read the article. "It's something about the music school Maka sent me a few days ago and I was finally able to get around to reading it."

Black Star paused mid-bite, chuckling as took a seat across from him on his bed. "Ah, so it's finally happened."

Soul rolled his eyes as he turned around to glance at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You've spent so much time around Maka that… that you've picked up on her nerdy habits! Don't worry though, that probably means she's picked up on something from you." Black Star exclaimed dramatically.

'I haven't seen Maka do anything similar to what I do unless he counts her sleeping in longer or trying to play one of my games…never mind.' Soul thought in realization, scowling at Black Star's smirk.

"You're over exaggerating, it's just one article. I'm not going to go out and purchase some huge novel next." Soul grumbled.

Black Star said nothing back, finishing eating his leg before speaking up again. "Hmm, well you two will have plenty of time to read on the flight and cruise if you want to so badly."

'Speaking of which, I better not procrastinate like I normally do. I know Tsubaki's packing some of Angela's clothes, but I need to pack my share of it too to make her bags be lighter.' Black Star thought, hopping off the bed.

"Anyways, I'll leave you to your boring stuff. Just don't use it as a way of distraction to be all mopey once we're all together as a group again on the cruise." Black Star said as he walked out of his room.

Soul scoffed, knowing he was referring to any possible tension that could develop between him and Kid. 'Everyone seems to think that'll be a problem.'

~X~

"What are we going to do first?! We should go to the pool or no the magic show!" Angela squealed out happily, trying to rush ahead into the ship while Black Star held her hand to hold her back.

Black Star grinned at her enthusiasm, squeezing her hand to calm her down. "Whoa now Angela, let's at least put our luggage down and get some dinner first. I'm tired after having to go through that safety and ship protocol."

"I'm surprised she's still so hyper after even sleeping on the airplane and we just boarded." Tsubaki mused, watching as Angela attempted to drag Black Star to walk faster.

Tsubaki glanced over her shoulder and saw that both Maka and Liz were pointing out pictures and fancy décor that aligned the walls as Soul and Kid only listened to them silently. 'Well, at least they both act relatively the same when it comes to their girlfriends.'

"Are you guys going to come to dinner with us or head to your rooms?" Tsubaki questioned, gaining all four of their attention.

"We bought dinner during the flight here so we're not that hungry, but let us know if you guys plan to go to any of the other night festivities!" Liz said before heading off in the direction of the rooms with Kid quickly following to make sure she didn't end up lost.

"We'll join you two, since we haven't ate in a while. The Chef's Choice restaurant offers a buffet." Maka suggested, reading aloud from a pamphlet a cruise member had given them earlier.

"That's fine since it will have a variety, we can meet back around the main hall in an hour after we've settled down." Black Star said.

Maka resisted the urge to frown as a thought occurred to her midway through dinner. 'I was really hoping Kid and Liz would join us so I could hopefully get Soul and Kid to interact more, but I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow I suppose.'

"Are you okay; you've only taken a couple of bites from your steak?" Soul whispered by her ear, startling her.

"Yeah, it's just a lot for me to eat that's all." Maka murmured back, glancing back down at her steak to avoid his staring.

Angela politely wiped her mouth with her napkin before setting it down on her plate. "The magic show starts at 8:30 and it's already 8:20! Can we please head over there now?"

Tsubaki sighed, brushing a hand through her onyx hair tiredly. "Angela, we told you already to be patient. If you keep asking us we're not going to go at all and we can just go back to our room for the night."

Angela immediately quieted down, fisting her blue skirt nervously. Black Star watched the scene from beside them, a part of him wondering how they could all find a way to make this trip as stress free as possible.

"They have a late night children's center she can go to one of these nights. That will take the pressure off of us worrying about her too much while we can spend some alone time together, if you what I mean." Black Star whispered quietly enough for only Tsubaki to hear.

Tsubaki flustered at his implication, noticing that Angela looked ready to turn her attention to bother Soul and Maka to take her. "I think she's only acting out because it's her first time traveling. The directors back at the orphanage trusted us with taking her out for the holidays so I worry about letting her out of our sight."

"It won't be good if we don't let her explore though. She's almost 7 now and eventually she'll enroll in public school and interact with even more people." Black Star pointed out.

Tsubaki nodded her head, finishing off her fruit punch. "Alright Angela, don't try and bug Soul or Maka to take you to the show. Stay here while we go throw away our trash and then we can go, okay?"

Angela's fuchsia eyes lit up, quietly nodding her head as they rest of them stood up.

"Do you want to check out the magic show as well? It's not like we have much else to do." Soul brought up.

Maka looked surprised for a moment that Soul wanted to go, but shrugged in agreement. The room was already crowded by the time they reached the entertainment hall where the performance was set to occur; a mixture of red and blue lights sifting across the center stage for the arrival of the magician.

"I hope he does more than just those basic card tricks that everyone already seen before." Soul commented while Maka elbowed him.

"The show was already included in the price so stop finding things to complain about." Maka snapped out, ignoring the annoyed look he sent her as the room began to darken for the show to begin.

About an hour and half later the show came to an end, Maka clapping happily as the magician completed the show in an explosion of confetti and balloons.

"I liked that change of clothes trick he used; I'm still wondering how he did that. What did you like?" Maka questioned Soul.

"I preferred the fire trick he had towards the middle, hell his whole act was good really." Soul replied as the two came out of the entrance to look for Black Star and Tsubaki.

Maka frowned as they approached the two and noticed the concerned looks on their faces. "What's wrong you guys; did you not like the show?"

Tsubaki shook her head, gazing back towards the entrance as people continued to litter out of the room. "Angela accidentally let go of my hand as we were walking out and we're hoping she'll come out and see us."

"Damn it, I should have put her over my shoulders so we wouldn't have lost her." Black Star berated himself.

A few minutes passed of them all waiting silently for a sign of Angela's familiar brown hair and pink eyes, apprehension growing when they didn't see anyone else come out of the room. Maka bit her lip worriedly and quickly spoke up.

"Alright, let's split up and look for her to cover more ground; she can't have gotten too far from here without somebody having seen her."

~X~

'This has turned into a complicated first night. Luckily, Angela can't go too far since we're on a ship.' Maka thought, glad she had on sneakers with a plain top and shorts to run around in.

She had taken to first checking the middle deck for any signs of her, going on the idea that the middle deck was where a majority of the kid centers and games were located.

Maka hastily turned another corner of the ship and accidently bumped into Kid in the process. "I'm sorry; I'm in a rush so I wasn't looking where I was going-"Maka trailed off as she realized it was Kid.

Kid shook his head, helping Maka up. "Oh, it's fine. Why are you in such a rush anyways? I thought you were still watching the magic show or at dinner."

"It just ended, but Angela got lost coming out of it so I'm helping look for her." Maka explained, catching her breath.

Kid frowned at that, golden eyes sharpening as he gazed around. "I haven't seen any children around her age walk by, but it is getting late; I can help you look for her if you want."

'No, if we do that, we'll run into Soul and he'll think I slacked off on my part of searching to find you.' Maka contemplated, shaking her head in disagreement.

"Anyways, why are you out right now; did you just want to enjoy the ocean-view?" Maka asked, noticing he had gone back to observing the moon's reflection against the waves.

"Liz set out to unpack everything and got a bit too carried away and… got disorganized to put it mildly. I stepped out to get some fresh air before I panicked a bit." Kid related.

Maka laughed gently, remnants of Kid's OCD still having an effect on him even now. "By the way Maka, there's no reason for you to try and force Soul to try and talk to me."

Maka's laughter halted as she froze for a second. How could he know about that when she had only mentioned that to Tsubaki?

"I've known you a long enough Maka to know when you're beginning to plan something. I don't believe Soul dislikes me and I don't dislike him so it's not a big deal we haven't talked much." Kid went on.

"I…I just feel bad you two don't seem to get along the way I do with Liz now. I didn't want any tension to develop between you two." Maka explained softly.

Kid nodded his head, tapping his fingers together gently. "True, I have seen him look at me with some annoyance in the past, but he's not acting much differently from how you acted back when we were in high school around Liz and Patty."

Maka huffed, offended by his comment. "I'm sure I never did anything similar to how Soul is acting!"

Kid chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, of course you did Maka! You were just actively showing you were jealous while Soul is being more passive about his. I'm sure it took Soul a while to fully trust you and open himself up around you as well. Additionally, you two have been in New York this whole time. I haven't had enough time to really get to know him like I have Black Star besides when you guys first came back from Spain."

'I never took all those points into consideration and here I was thinking I would start my plan off easily…' Maka realized.

"Anyways, I should let you go back to searching for Angela now and to avoid any misunderstandings." Kid mentioned, breaking her from her thoughts as he glanced towards the upper deck. Maka followed his line of direction in confusion at his words, frowning when she saw a glimpse of white hair.

"How long have you noticed he was up there?" Maka questioned.

Kid scratched his hair uncomfortably, unsure why Maka was suddenly a bit panicky. "Err; he's been there watching us since you came up to me? I thought you saw him already too."

~X~

"So, you forgot about Angela, huh?" Soul asked her quietly, having watched her run from the middle deck to the upper towards him.

Maka shook her head, cheeks red in a mix of embarrassment and exhaustion. "I had asked Kid if he saw her pass by and then we ended up talking about you."

Soul arched an eyebrow at that, waiting for her to continue. "Look, I simply wanted there to be no awkwardness between you and Kid, but then Kid said it was fine and that I should go back to you to explain everything because you-" Soul abruptly cut her off by holding up a hand to stop her.

"Oh, so that's what's been bugging you this whole time then? Geez, it was something stupid this whole time." Soul muttered as Maka scoffed.

"It's not stupid! It's hard to tell how you feel about different things sometimes." Maka murmured, taking a seat beside him.

"I haven't interacted with Kid much because there's not much yet for us to talk about, but I suppose while we're all together on trip I'll learn new things we have in common and it would be without you having to intervene." Soul pointed out.

Maka relaxed gently at that, resting her head against his shoulder. "You know, I'm not sure if that little speech of yours is an attempt to be cool and cover up your envy, but I appreciate it all the same."

"I'm sorry I've been acting silly about that topic though." Maka continued on softly.

Soul shook his head, resting a hand calmly against her cheek. "It's fine; I'm used to your oddities by now. I still love you bookworm."

Maka pouted at the nickname, but didn't resist as he pulled her closer in for a kiss until a sharp squeal made them pull back.

Soul glanced over Maka's shoulder towards the noise and smirked. "It seems Angela decided to come to us instead."

Maka turned to look as well and sighed in relief when she saw Angela approaching them slowly. "Angela, where have you been? We've been looking all over the ship for you!"

Angela quickly the tears away from her cheeks, reaching to grasp her legs tightly. "I'm sorry, I got lost getting out of the show and then I ran into these other kids who wanted to play! Eventually, they all went back to their parents and I still couldn't find you all and then I began to get worried."

"Geez, you should have asked a ship member for help if that was the case." Maka stated, calming her down by rubbing her back soothingly.

Angela peered towards Soul and moved out of Maka's arms shyly. "I didn't see anything if you're wondering…because I've seen Tsubaki and Black Star kiss plenty of times, so I didn't peek I swear! Just pretend you never saw me."

'How many people have interrupted or watched Soul and I kiss now? It's beginning to be too many times to count now…' Maka pondered, blushing while Soul hoisted Angela onto his shoulders.

"We'll let Black Star and Tsubaki decide on a punishment for you, but in the meantime let's get you back to them safely." Soul explained.

"I'm not tired if that's what you're thinking by carrying me. I still want to watch TV in the room or color." Angela grumbled softly, quickly falling asleep a couple minutes later as they headed downstairs.

Soul glanced behind him to make sure Angela was fully asleep before pulling Maka back in to finish her kiss, teeth nibbling against her lips before she quickly pushed him back.

"What are you doing?! Angela is still sleeping on your shoulder!" Maka hissed out quietly as she could in order not to wake her.

Soul only chuckled at her reddened cheeks. "She said it was okay for us to finish though!"

Liz was the first to notice their arrival outside of their rooms around 10 minutes later, getting Black Star and Tsubaki's attention away from asking one of the crewmembers.

"Oh, it is okay you guys! Her part-time parents found her safe and sound!" Liz cheered out happily as Soul slowly handed Angela into Black Star's arms.

"Don't call us that!" Maka huffed out, causing Liz to only laugh even more.

"Where was she? I feel like we checked every deck at least twice. I'm glad she's resting for now though since she'll get her punishment in the morning." Tsubaki asked in relief.

Maka laughed uncomfortably, remembered just how Angela had found them. "She actually came up to us, she said she had been hanging out with some other kids and lost track of time."

Black Star furrowed his brows at her quick explanation, turning towards Soul. "I thought we all split up, did Maka sneak back to go search with you?"

Soul merely shrugged, avoiding Black Star's teasing grin. "Yeah, it was something like that."

~X~

"I'm definitely sleeping in late after all the running around we did tonight." Maka mused, shifting comfortably next to Soul under the blankets of the bed.

Soul grinned at that, nibbling at her ear gently as she shifted a hand lazily through his hair to pull him closer. "We may miss out on some fun activities by doing that though. Not that you seem to care."

"Oh, I'm sure we can definitely find an equal balance between fooling around and hanging out with the others. We probably will never get to do something like this again for a long time and I do want to check out as many amenities as possible; I even heard that there's a library somewhere around here." Maka explained.

Soul scowled, reaching a hand underneath her shirt to rub her thigh as he slowly trailed downward. "Please tell me you're not seriously thinking of going there. I know you finished reading the books you already packed, but still."

Maka moaned softly at the touch, giggling nonetheless when Soul still threw her an irritated look. "Ah, I'm going to check it out once to see what it looks like, but I promise you I won't mention any more school or school related stuff starting from now."

Soul's grin widened, pulling the blanket over them. "Good, because we have plenty of time to worry about all that crap and other stuff in the spring semester."

~x~

Have a good day! ~


End file.
